Quest
by Zoreena
Summary: Rosie run into some bad luck by accepting a gift that is now curse! Not only is this her bad luck but everyone she meets as well, now she must stop the an evil queen before its too late! Chap 22...the last chap! This is finished
1. Encouters

~I feel like a duffle bag that is worthless instead of the true gem that I really em. Hah hah! I can rhyme I am soooo smart! Well Well, it seems that Olive can sleep through anything!~  
  
We are on our way to Bast. I feel like I need a change and new beginning. After that awful duke has spread so many horrid rumors about us I feel it necessary that we start over. It shouldn't be that bad considering we have our advantages like knowing Ella and how she seduced Prince Charmont. When everyone knows that he really wanted me.  
  
Oh well here everyone will think that we are really good friends and will think that we have major connections. It isn't like we will be lying to them. I mean we just won't tell them everything. That isn't lying. Besides we all know what assuming does. It all comes down to it will not be my fault. Whoa! Why are we stopping?  
  
"Hey you!" a little girl dressed in rags reaches out her hand.  
  
"What do you want?" I ask impatiently.  
  
I mean if I don't reach Bast soon I shall surely be desolate and be horrid because I shalln't have had my beauty sleep.  
  
"Please! My family has been eaten by ogres and I have no money or food. Please please I will give you this magical necklace that gives any person three wishes and in return could you give me a ride to Bast and some money for food?"  
  
The girl tripped over her words and really did look in need of desperate help. But the necklace bit was probably a lie. I mean how many magically necklaces could there be out there and why would she give it so freely to me?  
  
"Let me see the necklace. How could it be worth what you are asking?"  
  
Just then, a carriage pulled-up. It was the prince of Bast. He was asking what the hold-up was. I realized that I had better take this girl in. If the prince saw me leaving the girl I could get another bad reputation and then where could I go? Plus Olives snores were getting louder and I did not think it possible to awake her.  
  
"Well I guess, you can ride up front with the driver. I would invite you inside but there is just not enough room." I shoved some things around to make it look cramped.  
  
To tell the truth, the girl looked like she smelled to high heaven and I did not want to smell her stench in addition to be shook to the rattle of the carriage. The girl looked so grateful that she looked she could cry. She put the necklace in my hand and ran up to sit next to the driver.  
  
The prince pulled up his carriage to see what was happening now that the girl moved out of the way.  
  
"Is everything alright ladies?"  
  
He looked over to Olive who was snoring loud enough to wake the dead. I kicked as hard as I possible could and she did even skip a beat off her symphony. I had to get rid of him and this down pour embarrassment.  
  
"Everything is perfectly fine your majesty. Thank you so much for kindness we are quite well. But I am afraid we are in a great hurry."  
  
"A thousand apologizes, malady. Where you headed?" The prince frowned at Olive.  
  
I could kill her!!!!!! WHY ???!????  
  
"Bast we are expected there very shortly and I do not want to keep the people we are staying with worried. I am terribly sorry your highness."  
  
I can hardly keep my composure. Under other circumstances I would never in a million years want to be rid of him but this was ridiculous!  
  
"Ah! I see, well then I will only ask if the maiden in which is with you is well?" The prince looked really concerned. What choice did I have?  
  
"She is ill. We are going to Bast to meet up with a doctor because we fear for her health." Just then to my horror and the prince's puzzlement Olive awoke and asked why the carriage stopped. 


	2. Arriving At Bast

Now if we ever get there we can rate the rest of it and see if his home is anything better than him but we will see. I will not get my hopes up. What else do I have to do? Oh yes what am I going to do about the girl? Maybe I can just lose her somewhere. I will think of something but for now I need to try and get the most beauty sleep that is possible in this of blare of Olive's trumpet.  
  
We finally pulled in the city and I cannot express my happiness at the prospect of the journey coming to an end. As to the scenery well it was not upsetting the least. I mean most people think of Bast as a dumpy and plain town but I could see that that just made it filled with opportunity.  
  
  
  
Olive's trumpet symphony was getting old so I gave her a sharp kick. She woke-up slightly startled but if it had not been for the fact that kicked her she would have kept sleeping.  
  
"Hattie! Why did you kick me?" Olive inquired aggressively. I replied very calmly in order to abate her aggression.  
  
"Olive, I woke-up to tell you that we have arrived. You need to gather your things because we will arrive at the inn soon."  
  
I picked up my purse and my cloak because it was rather cold outside. Which reminds me that girl is still out there with coachman. We can get rid of her without problem. Maybe I can send her on an errand and then she can get lost. Literally. The carriage rides to a steady stop and the footman opened the door and put down the steps.  
  
I walk in my most dignified walk but unfortunately the clod that was so pleased with his performance was not paying attention to what he was doing and somehow manage to get my dress. My beautiful traveling dress caught between the stairs and the door of the carriage making me make a most unflattering fall to my not so graceful landing position in a clump on the ground.  
  
Then to my complete and utter horror Olive either jumped or fell out of the carriage. It all pasted by in slow motion. Trip, clump, "AHHHHHHH!!!!!" Then darkness.  
  
  
  
I do not know whether I screamed or Olive screamed and I think that it is a good thing that I fell unconscious for Olive's sake and mine, for I would have died, in all truth, if I had seen the crowd of people laughing. Well maybe I am dead. I can only hope.  
  
  
  
I woke up in a room with some kind soul putting a rag to my head and talking to a doctor. So that the girl I thought it was wouldn't feel like they went to so much trouble in vain I moaned a little and groaned a little.  
  
"Ahh little mistress! Do not be feeling sorry for your's elf. You just merely fainted." It was an man's voice who said this. I could not believe the pathetic and nasty way some people treat me! It is horrible! I have obviously been through a traumatic event the least I should get is a little sympathy.  
  
" Ooohh!! You do not know my pain and suffering!! How could you possibly know?"  
  
"Well so staht with it. I am wahhrioh fhom the gheat wah of the londs and I haf suffehed mohe than just a fainting fit but you are hight I do not haf the knowledge of what you ahe feeling. But what I do know is that it could haf bean a lot wohse."  
  
I started to cry and I think the man just left. "Sehves heem hight!!!" I thought myself. Then I realized that there was someone else in the room and it wasn't Olive. It was the girl that we let ride over here. I must get rid of her she is much to pretty and her good deeds are not helping. Then the girl came over to rub my back and try to comfort me. How dare so even try when everything in my life has been a nightmare. I don't even have my own hair!!!!! But let us have a little fun while she is around.  
  
"It is ok lady. I am sure he did not mean to be rude."  
  
"Yeesss hhe sob sob di hih did!!!!! Heesssssssssooooooooo eee ee e villl !!!!!!"  
  
Hey I try! I am so good this could be fun after all!  
  
"You know that necklace I gave will make you feel better."  
  
"You are mocking meee!!!! You are just saying that so that I will let you stay!! No body loovess mmee!!"  
  
Come to think of it I hadn't really thought about the necklace.  
  
*A/N Hey hey! Another chapter done even though I only have 3 peeps who have reviewed I am not giving up hope! The more chapters I write the more fun it is and all those peeps who are not reading and reviewin are missing out! Oh and next chapter we are gonna have some fun with this necklace and Hattie. I am liken writin this cuz just becuz no one wants to read it sniff sniff I am still having fun. Oh and also in the next chapter I am hoping to let you get to know the girl more. Oh and I think I might mention that Hezzel has an accent and he pronounces his r's like an h and v's like f's. I am not sure how this story is gonna end but like I said lets have some fun and then worry about major details. So until then!! Read and Review! 


	3. The Girl

~The girl~  
  
  
  
This poor girl that has taken me into her care has completely snapped. She does not know what she does to herself by pushing others away. Oh well hopefully one of these days she will learn and her greediness shall catch- up to her. That is my luck though!  
  
  
  
I am lucky. This is the farthest I have gotten for years! The ride here was not so bad either. The driver was happy with the company and I was just glad to get the opportunity, I guess I would call it. He has a big family and has been the family driver for years. They pay well, mostly because they don't want him to spread rumors about them around or as his employer, Dame Olga, would say,  
  
"It not that I think we say or do anything wrong. I just feel that the things we may say or do will be misunderstood."  
  
Which, he added that he didn't have to say anything. The people already had a good idea of what kind of people they were, greedy, weird, greedy, mean, greedy, and just plain nasty. The only charity they did was anything that made them look good or helped them. You know the imports are more than the exports.  
  
  
  
When we arrived and the two "ladies" made their entrance out of the carriage to the inn, I never knew how well I could hold in a laugh or how hard it was. Some men helped the driver carry Hattie inside. Olive had bounce onto her feet and started staring at Hattie and asking if she was dead. Then I saw Hezzel, a very good friend of mine who was the best doctor and warrior. He can do anything he wants to do. I have known him my whole life and I still don't completely understand or know him.  
  
  
  
He was there when it happened. He told me not to do it but I never listen to anyone if I don't want to. The difference between Hezzel and me is he can do anything and always does the right thing. I can do anything and I always seem to do the wrong thing. But if all works out I am hoping that this will all end. I think that I have an easy target this time.  
  
  
  
Speaking of my "prey", she is snoring. Snoring louder than her sister. If you can believe it. But she is also talking in her sleep. I just can't mess things up this time. I just cant mess-up. 


	4. Her Past

~Her Story~  
  
Messing-up. That had been my life's story. I remember the days life used to be perfect to no end and a naive me felt that nothing could have messed it up.  
  
I grew-up in a palace. My family was not in the upper crust but we were friends of the king and queen of Tubika. The way I was treated you may as well have called me a princess. Queen Alana and King Thudalk would have made my father and mother nobility but the law did not allow it. Besides as long as the King and Queen were alive they were treated like nobility. We were invited to balls and dinners, hiding the fact that we were not nobility and anyone who knew were not going to denounce the friends of the King and Queen if they valued their reputation.  
  
We were not entirely without responsibility though. My father was the king's secret advisor. Sort of his right hand man but no one knew except the royal family and us of course. He also took care of the king's horse. My dad could calm any beast and make it seem like your best friend no matter how wild and stubborn.  
  
My mother was the queen's secret right hand women and her first lady in waiting. The queen could not have chosen a better one for she had a way to make everything perfect. She knew the right thing to say at the right moment and the right thing to do and wear and act and everything. Sometimes I think she was all the magical creatures in one. She was just too perfect to be anyone thing.  
  
Now me. I didn't just sit around either. I was the entertainment. I danced. That is not giving it justice. When I heard any music I could just express everything feeling and emotion that the music gave to me. I would spin and skip about. The king and queen would be so delighted by my performances that they had me perform in front of their most important guests.  
  
I can remember that before each time I went up to perform I would become so nervous but as soon as the music came on everything and one in the room disappeared. It was just the music and I. Sometimes I felt like a puppet but I knew that I owned the emotions coming out of me. So I guess the way to say it would be that the emotions that were evoked took control of me and did not stop until the music stopped.  
  
Life in those days was wonderful but I had to come to grip with reality. Those days are over and they are not going to come back. So I must focus on savaging what I can.  
  
~ Someone knocks on the door.~  
  
hhmmm, I wonder who would want to visit her?  
  
As I look up in to the deep icy blue eyes of Prince Ryan of Bast, I feel as though I am about to faint.  
  
A/N * Thanks to every one of my reviewers! Your reviews are wonderful and they mean a great deal to me. Even if you say you hate I would be ever so thankful. I don't want to say that I am desperate for reviews .but I am sort of. I will keep writing no matter what but it is nicer write it when I know that others are enjoying it as much as me or not. Icepixie- thank you soooo much for your review! I read you story it is really interesting keep writing! And other peeps that come here check her story out it is very good! Banana, Lena, Avonly, Anne- thanks a mill and keep reviewing! One other thing, I went through to check through my story and noticed that it was completely messed-up so please I am allllways out of sorts, tell me if I am making a mistake because then you actually maybe WANT to read this lol. (edr). But I fixed everything so if you were confused before I fixed so go look over it and see if it is better. Thanks sooo much! Tooltes! 


	5. A Narrow Escape

~The Girl~  
  
I saw myself in a beautiful garden at night. I was sobbing up near a wall on a mossy ground underneath a dogwood tree. It was a gorgeous night and the stars and moon were at their brightest but why was I crying?  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Whhhat?" I blink my eyes open and the room comes back into view. I am on one of the two small wooden beds. There is a window with patchwork drapes and a nightstand with some towels, basin, and pitcher. In the corner of the room there is a closet with a mirror. I look into it and see my reflection and also the reflection of a man leaning over me. I look up to see who and almost faint again.  
  
" pp.pp.pPrince Ry.., I mean Prince why have you come here?" I put my voice low and try not to sound like myself.  
  
" Well, I came here because when I arrived home I met up with the lady Hattie's sister Olive. Who was lost and I also came..you look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"  
  
O my goodness, O my goodness, O my goodness! Not good, Not good! This could get really ugly really fast! Think of something Rosie! Come on!!!!  
  
"Welll, I amm am nn."  
  
"Oh I know!!!"  
  
"You do?" O this ends it all. All my hard work and I barely started for him to ruin it !!!! He ALWAYS did!  
  
"Yes, you are the girl that Lady Hattie and Lady Olive gave a ride here. I am right, right?"  
  
"Why yes you majesty! You are absolutely correct!" Wow there is sooooo much more air in this room now! Thank goodness that is the only connection he has made so far or as I said before things could get nasty.  
  
"I think that is all. Maybe somewhere else to but I am probably mistaken. I have seen a great many of people all my life that I can barely keep people straight!"  
  
"Yea, I am sure I would have remembered if I ever met a royal like yourself. I mean I don't even know your name." Hey I am no liar; I haven't met a royal like him.  
  
"It is Ryan Kladuht, Prince of Bast. Which is.here."  
  
Well, isn't he the charmer. HAH! I crack myself up sometimes!  
  
"Thank you soo much for your kindness, Prince.What was it?" Nice touch if I do say so myself.  
  
"Ryan"  
  
"Oh yes! Prince Ryan, I am forever in your debt but I unfortunately I must ask you to leave for Lady Hattie had the most horrible accident and she has just now fallen asleep. I am afraid if you stay that she may wake from our voices. Thank you ever so kindly and good day!" I hope he doesn't feel like I am pushing out of the door but I am! You have to be cruel to be kind sometimes.  
  
"Yes, yes. Your must welcome! I will see you late.."  
  
Hmmm, this was not a problem that I expected! This was supposed to be the town that no one would recognize me and I could go about my business and be done with it. Now it is going to be a thousand times harder!!  
  
N/A * What do you think? Are you confused? Need help? Well I can't promise much but hopefully improve by the next update if you just dial 1-800-push- the-review-button-&type-a-review! (corny I know but I just love them when I get them!) 


	6. Taking care of poooor Hattie

~Rosie~  
  
I got up out of the bed and looked at myself in the mirror, while ignoring the inquestitive Olive girl. I had enough problems without her getting in my way. I need to see what I have to work with.  
  
My hair was a lot longer that it was and it was lighter blonde with brown streaks. There was a slight wave to it that gave what I like to call character to my hair that most people don't have and need. My eyes were the same old foggy blue that would still be confused as green unless you were really close. My skin tone was still very pale.almost see though. I had grown a little taller, so I was now slightly taller than average. My nails were clean and my saving grace that I have kept them clean and pretty. You can always tell a fake royal from a real royal if their hands and nails are rough and dirty.  
  
I may be able to carry this off. Things are finally starting to go my way but I am still not holding my breath. My looks aren't really eye catching, but what I lack in looks I can make up with charm and schmoozing. Which are something to brat about, if don't say so myself.  
  
Now I need a lot of money or three dresses and accessories and a title and a name and I need them before tonight. I think I know where to get them. I think.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~~  
  
"Lady Hattie?"  
  
"ooo ooo.yYess?" She tries to look completely and utterly helpless. Unfortunately it isn't working.  
  
" I have prepared you a bath. I have laid out a dress for you to wear to the ball tonight but if you are not feeling that well then I can give you dinner in bed and you can just rest and I will send your apologies to .."  
  
"Welll lets not get carried away. I mean I have just only arrived and I do not want to give the wrong impression?" she cooed, "I will just have to make a great effort. Besides there is never pain without gain."  
  
For once we agree!  
  
"If you are sure my lady. You must hurry then because I do not want your bath to get too cold for you."  
  
"I will go now. I will have to be fashionably late of course, but I do not want the prince to miss one moment of us being together." She said with dreamy conviction.  
  
HAH!! I almost snort.  
  
"I will be waiting out here.actually, where is Olive?" This too easy!  
  
"Oh my! I cannot believe she would wonder off again after she wondered off before! Would you be so kind as you look for her and tell her to ready herself quickly for the evening?"  
  
"Yes, my lady, I will find her as fast as I can."  
  
"Now there is a good pet. I am to my bath and I shall not tarry long."  
  
And with this she left. I laughed to myself, for I knew perfectly well where Olive was because I sent her away to go get some ingredients for some white cake she wanted me to make in my spare time. Which I really don't think is going to happen any time soon but we will see. Now I must go. 


	7. Hezzel's Help

A/N *Wow, just wow! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooo much times infinity for the reviews. It means a lot to me that you guys to the time to say that was good or that was short or something along those lines. I like it even better when you say your reaction cuz then I can sit here and laugh! Haha! You guys said that some of my chapters were really short and I must explain myself and ask you guys what you prefer. First excuse is lack of time and the other I had writers block. At first I thought that Hattie would be the main character but then I realized that she wasn't nice enough to be so yea I chose Rosie. But please tell me whether you prefer shorter chapters more frequently or longer chapters not so often? I must thank my number 1 reviewers, Aduial Elenath: I was online when you were reviewing my story and I was sooo happy and excited and I was waiting for each review and I was agreeing with what you said and it was so nice. Bast is a city but I was thinking when I realized that it could be a principality?? Or is that too far fetched? You tell me and if it is I will rename it. Oh and to you others out there her story, Legends and Magic, ROCKS!! I can only dream of being that good so that makes you reviewing my story mean even more to me. The other reviewer is Icepixie: Thank you for reading my story like I said the Aduial it means a great deal to me and you are new like me and your story I can tell if going to be fantastic! Her story is Beauty's Sleep really good! Please when you are done here by all means go on to these stories it should keep you busy! Ok I am done droning on & on & on and you get the point but here is some story with my A/N! Lol! ~Rosie~  
  
I bolted very quietly out of the room. I ran out into the street and tried to figure out where I was going. I had to remember this place but it has been so long. To think when I got that necklace I was ecstatic, I couldn't believe my eyes but I was naive then and now I am here to fix that and take back my life and what is mine. To do this I need to go to the ball and I really don't want to be recognized. I mean when I wished to be famous I really wasn't thinking serial killer but let us not dwell on unhappy times.  
  
I knew that I must go to Hezzel and that he would give me what I needed. He is the only one in this whole world that has ever been nice to me and believes that I have not done have of the things I am accused of. I could always go to him and I knew that when I went to him all of my problems seem to either disappear or seem not as bad. He was like a miracle worker and a grandfather mixed into one. But I always feel like I will never know him completely like he is a cake with many different flavors and as soon as you find one flavor and you finish it you are full and can eat anymore so then you save later and you never finish or run of out of layers. At least he wasn't like an onion. I think Olive would agree that cake is much better.  
  
It was not that far to Hezzel's cottage but you had to walk till the end of Tibles Street. That street is main street and very busy at first but down at Hezzel's end is very quiet and very different from the beginning.  
  
I passed by a stores and a nice restaurant. I just glanced in the window and there was Olive! She was sitting with a man who was not appalling to the eye at all. Wow, she must know more than she lets on because I would have never guessed in the little time that I have known her. I am certain that Hattie does not know. What is this she is eating? Oh white cake, hmm I guess he gave her an offer she couldn't refuse. Haha. Well, good for you Olive. You need exposure to someone other than Hattie.  
  
I keep getting distracted. I think he expects me to come. He just has his little ways of knowing. I finally got to the end of the street and found his house unchanged from my memory as if I had ripped it from my brain and put it in front of me.  
  
For some reason I felt nervous. I think it was because I was feeling guilty for coming to him again but this would be the beginning of the end now that I have everything figured out. Besides by the time I leave I will feel bad that I haven't come more often.  
  
I skipped from stone to stone but soon lost sight of them for they became covered in ivy the closer I came to the cottage. I nervously knocked on the door. I wonder if he will be able to even open it with all of this ivy! I glance around at his cottage's surroundings while I hear him bump about getting to the door.  
  
"If you ahe selling soomething then you ahe coming to the whong place and I suggest that you leafe befohe I find you on mii door steep. Howefeh, if you ahe Hosie then come hight in."  
  
I smiled at this and then yanked the door open maybe harder than I should have for it slammed open and made Hezzel drop the glass bottle he was holding.  
  
"Hello, Hezzel."  
  
"Ello, Hosemahy"  
  
"I am sorry I made you drop that bottle."  
  
"Itis nothing! I was going to thhow it away when you came in. Which bhings me to mii next question. Why hafe you come?"  
  
"I have need of some supplies."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Welll.you know the balls that the Prince is holding?" Hezzel winces and nods his head at this but calmly listens.  
  
"I really need to go but the problem is I need to get there and start getting to know people.I need to know if they will recognize me. So I was wondering if you would help me?" I tried to hide the desperation in my voice but I don't think it was working. I suddenly became very fascinated with my feet as I waited for his response.  
  
".uhum."  
  
Maybe he is just thinking. I will give it some more time but I wonder what "uhum" means.  
  
"Welll, let's see you will hafe need of money and dhesses and a mask to staht. Oh and we mustin forget shoes! Yes we mustin they ahe most important."  
  
I could have kissed him at that moment but I knew when he was thinking like this I wouldn't want to disturb him. He started rummaging through his closet and through old dusty boxes. Then he said  
  
"AH HA! You will need this." He said very proudly. I walked over to see what it was. Then I saw.  
  
It was the most gorgeous mask I have either seen. It had two eyes that fit my eyes perfectly and were edged with pearls and diamonds. On the borders were silky and colorful feathers of blue and green that were layered. There was a chain that held it on my face that was mother of pearl and could be securely attached as a part of my hairstyle.  
  
"This is wonderful Hezzel! Wherever did you find this?" I asked still in awe and wondering what else does he keep in that closet?  
  
"A fhiend gafe it to me fhom Hopehhia. She was queen at the time and she thought I would hafe a family of my own someday but instead I found you so it is youhs now. A dhess and shoes!!!"  
  
He went up to his attack and rummaged through a couple of things and came down with three dresses, shoes, and a handful of jewelry. This just isn't adding up. Why would he have all of this just in his house? I really wanted to ask but I didn't. It was none of my business and besides why be noisy when someone is being nice?  
  
"Wow Hezzel! You still never cease to amaze me. I know Hezzel when this whole mess is over I will only come because I miss you and I will never ask for anything again."  
  
"No no. You must come often as you must and you also must huhhy and get heady. So no thanks just go and phomise me you will tell me about it lateh."  
  
"Alright Hezzel, Good bye! And I will come as soon as I can!" I called as he shooed me out the front door. Well Hezzel looks like you have saved the day again. 


	8. Let the Ball Commence!

~Rosie~  
  
I felt like Cinderella as I reached the top of the grand staircase and yes, to my utter shame I was counting windows until one of the guards gave me a worried look. I just laughed at him and said something along the lines that I was counting the number of things I had on my list of things to do and I was checking through that list. That was really the best I could do.  
  
I liked the dress that I had picked out but I saved the one I liked the best for last. I had my in a simple bun surrounded in golden curls. I weaved the mask's chain into my bun and held it in place with the comb that was attached to the mask chain.  
  
My dress looked like it was made of a pearl yet not hard but soft and flowing. It was little fabric that was perfect for the cool spring weather. The dress had a v-neck line and sleeves that flowed down to my elbows and flared and dipped down to a point. The bottom was slightly puffy and had a train it the back. My shoes as Hezzel would say were the most important, were made of mother of pearl or something like it because they fit my feet perfectly and moved to their comfort. To this I was grateful. My necklace was a thin silver chain with a pearl teardrop in the center. My earrings were the same only smaller.  
  
To tell you the truth I felt like a princess! It was amazing. I was really happy that my shoes were comfortable because I am really looking forward to dancing to my heart's content! And ooh to me back to twirl and whirling in time to the steps of the music again! I could scarcely glide fast enough down the endless stairs.  
  
I wonder what Hattie will say when I never came back? Haha! I couldn't help not going back because she would have found all of my dresses and think I was some sort of thief and keep them for herself! Oh well, I will go back and say that I was really worried about Olive and I just couldn't find her! Luckily for me Olive is out on her own tonight.  
  
Now what I need to do is mingle. I can't just start dancing right away because I don't want to waste any dances. So for now I need to pick out who my partners will be.  
  
"Excuse me. I seem to know you from somewhere." I say to a girl whom I have no idea who she is but I need to get know who is who here.  
  
"Hmm, I don't think so. What is your name?"  
  
Wow, I hadn't thought of this. I can't tell who I really am because if she really does know me then she will definitely cause a scene and that is the last thing that I want to happen! Umm quickly think!!  
  
"uu, my name? Iith.uu..umm..Bb..Beth! Yes that is it, I am sometimes very off in my own little world. I was just so excited about coming because I might meet some old friends here. By the way what is your name?"  
  
Ok, she probably thinks I am a total head case because I can't even say my own name!  
  
"O.. Hi, Beth, I am Ellanie. I don't think I remember you but it is more than likely that I don't know you because I am not from here. I am from Hoperria. It is a small island off the coast of Inkulli."  
  
"Hmm, that sounds like it is familiar but I grew up here for a couple years. I left when I was nine. I been living in Jinnak it is about a day or two away from here but this is the first time that I have come back. It is funny how this place seems the same but has changed so much. Have met anyone here?"  
  
"Well I know the society here, if that is what you mean. I came across this lady that was giving the information on everyone and I feel it my duty to tell others. You never know anyways, I may reacquaint you with your long lost friend or a young love? I just love playing match maker!"  
  
"haha, that would be great! I could have used you when I got here! I was completely lost in a world that I recognized but thought it had been captured by strangers!"  
  
Ellanie turned out to be very useful. With her help I was able to find out who every duke, lord, lady, prince, princess, queen, and king was without having to try to introduce myself into every one of them!  
  
When Ellanie was asked to dance I went to the refreshment table to get a drink. I notice Hattie. And that is were the night took a terrible turn. I noticed that on her neck was the necklace that I had given her. I hadn't thought that she would actually wear it for fear of losing it. This was bad! I need to get it off her neck and soon!  
  
I racked my brain and came up with a bold and very stupid plan.  
  
"Hello Lady Hattie." I smiled warmly, "I saw Olive out and about tonight. She told me to go to the ball and tell that she wasn't feeling well enough to come. She asked me to go for her and tell you this." Oh my goodness, I really don't think she is this guillible!  
  
"Hmm, she must be really really sick. Oh well I guess that means I must have twice the fun then! I mean we both mustn't be miserable, right?"  
  
"Lady Hattie, there is something else!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She had daggers in her eyes. I had better do this carefully.  
  
"Well, there was something I need to tell you about that necklace."  
  
"What?" I could tell that she was getting annoyed.  
  
"Well, I don't want to tell you where just anyone can hear. You can never trust anyone these days."  
  
I walked out onto the balcony and she followed me. I can only hope she will believe me!  
  
"Lady Hattie, the necklace I gave is really magic and it will give you wishes but if someone were to see it and recognize its power they would steal and replace it with a fake without your knowing of it. My suggestion to you is that you give me the necklace until we get home and until then I will give you my necklace that I am wearing."  
  
I held my breath. Plleeaase work!!!!  
  
"Well, I had no idea it was so valuable!"  
  
"The knowledge of its power is widely known and if people were to see it and know that you had it they would stop at nothing to get it from you."  
  
"How do I know that you are not trying to take it from me?"  
  
"Because I have given it to you and I have already had my three wishes."  
  
"Wellll, alright but I how will you keep it safer than me?"  
  
"I will go back to the inn early. It is also said that if you have made your wishes already then the necklace can't be taken from you."  
  
"Then it must be safer with you at the inn. Yes you must take it then."  
  
Oh my goodness, thank you thank you thank you. Now I can breath! She took off the necklace very quickly and I traded it with mine.  
  
"Enjoy the rest of the ball lady Hattie." I curtseyed. She turned and left with a smirk on her face.  
  
This is horrible! Now I have to go back home and I haven't had a chance to dance yet. Oh well there is the next ball at least. I walked back into the grand hall and looked out into the sea of masks wondering if things would ever be as they were.  
  
Just as I was starting to drift off, Lord Ferdinand asked me to dance. I smiled and said  
  
"With pleasure milord."  
  
He led me out onto the floor and we started to dance to a pleasant waltz when something went terribly wrong.  
  
A/N* Hey, another chapter done! Yay! I am really happy because I know exactly where I am going with this story. It started out soooo different from what I thought! I hope you guys are happy with this chapter and the little thing with Hattie and Rosie. If you have any suggestions please make them and thanks again to Aduial Elenath- I would love to read those stories! Just tell me when they are out and I will be sure to check them out! And icepixie - I hope you like this ball part not much really happened but I think a lot a lot a lot more will happen next chapter so I am gonna try to make it really hmmm interesting. You all are going to find out more about Rosie so until next chapter! Please write your reaction with that nice little review button! ( : 


	9. Confessions Of Rosemary

~Rosie~  
  
My wonderful gift that was the joy and happiness in my life, which had always given me solace when I wasn't feeling so well, was gone. As Lord Ferdinand guided me about the grand hall all I could do was jump and hop along. I couldn't step once with the beat and whenever I did it was on his feet. To my utter horror I not only did not remember how to dance it was like someone stole it away from me.  
  
Tears formed in my eyes. Then by no surprise I tripped over Lord Ferdinand and crashed into someone who landed on the dessert table that catapulted cake in the lord's face. I didn't have time to notice that it was the prince who had been flung on the table because the lord was so frustrated, probably due to his battered and bruised feet and the chocolate cheesecake on his face, that he started shouting his anger for the whole hall to hear.  
  
"You! You .CLOD!! You Great Oaff!! How dare you even accept my GRAciouSss ooFfer to dansssse .when.when you can't dansse without attempting to kill the prinssse in .in .in your savage attempt at eloquent dansssing! He sputtered and spit and ssssss ssss ssss more but I had had enough. I could not take this anymore and I began to wonder why I even tried. The next thing I knew I ran from the room tears streaming down my face.  
  
The only thing I knew was that I was outside and the only reason I stopped was because there was a wall in front of me. At this time I crumpled in a heap on the mossy ground. I sobbed and sobbed. I thought that this curse had taken its worst from me but I had never known that it would take everything.  
  
Ever since that fateful day, long ago, my life was never the same. I was six when my mother told me to go outside and play. Perhaps pick some flowers. So I did just that I went outside sat by the pond and picked flowers to make them into a flower crown for my performance later that night. It was going to be the Queen Alana's birthday.  
  
When I was finished I looked up to see smoke coming from the woods. I decided to go exploring to found out what was going on. I had to climb over the courtyard walls of the palace in order to do this. Unfortunately mother never would have allowed to do this if she saw me. So I looked around to see if anyone was watching and then scrambled up the tree that grew near the wall.  
  
Even though I was a pretty small child, climbing was always something I was good at and I got over the wall easily with few scrapes. The woods were a long stretch from the wall and between them was a long grass field. The grass was so tall that I could barely see over top of it. I stumbled once but got back up and reached the wood. I paused for a moment to look at it. Up this close the wood did not seem as inviting as it did from a distance but I continued on.  
  
I ran some ways into the wood and there was a small vine covered cottage with smoke coming out of it. I came close to peer inside the window. To my surprise there was Hezzel and a woman about his age talking with him. Their voices were raised and I soon found they were arguing over something but I couldn't figure it out because they were speaking a language I had never heard before. I had never known Hezzel could be that angry before. He always seemed so calm.  
  
Their conversation ended quickly. As I saw the woman about to leave I ran to find a better hiding place. I ran quickly and tripped. I had graceful skills at dancing, walking/ running were another story. I had gotten far enough from Hezzel's house that it was no longer in sight but the woman was coming up really close.  
  
I couldn't move when I saw her. There wasn't anything special about her but her presence was enough to stop a battling army in the middle of their war. Her hair was loose and fell down to her waist. It was a mixture of white and gray. Her eyes were like two sapphires and her face had smooth wrinkles. She was average height and she wore a dark blue velvet robe tied with a golden cord. I could tell that in her younger years she was very beautiful.  
  
I kept staring at her until she spoke to me in a liquid voice that would have soothed a baby from a tantrum.  
  
"Hello. What are you doing out in the woods all alone? I don't think that is very safe, don't you?"  
  
I could only nod with my eyes locked on her. She let out a gentle laugh that I had often heard the ladies at the court use when they thought I was being a "darling child". Then became angry. Here she was mocking me, yelling at Hezzel, and she didn't even know me.  
  
"Why were you yelling at Hezzel?" I asked her. How she answered this would determine my opinion of her and her chances of answering in a way I would like were slim. Somehow though, it seemed she was reading my mind.  
  
"Oh we were just having an argument, you friends can't be friends without a disagreement every once and a while. I'll tell you what. To prove myself and show that I wish to become friends with you, I shall give you a present."  
  
I looked at her suspiciously as she dug into her pockets. She soon pulled out a small golden bag and handed it to me. I peaked inside and found a necklace with a silver chain and a ruby in the shape of a heart on the chain. I stared at it in awe. I had never been given something so wonderful. I immediately praised her a fairy in my mind and was angered at Hezzel for raising his voice at her.  
  
I murmured a pathetic "thank you." And slowly and carefully started to pour it back into the golden pouch so that I didn't lose it or brake it. She stopped me.  
  
"Wait, you do not think I would buy your friendship that easily? There is something more that I have given you. Can you guess?"  
  
"Noo," I said cautiously.  
  
"Well, that necklace that is in your hands comes with three wishes. You must make them now or they will grow old and die."  
  
My eyes widened and I thought of the three things that I wanted more than anything in the world.  
  
" I want to be the best dancer in the whole world. And I want to be very famous, so famous that everyone knows who I am. and I .."  
  
"Hurry, hurry my dear we mustn't waste precious time." She made me make a rash decision.  
  
"I wish I were.abletoseethefuture." I slurred making it sound like I had just reached the finish line in time. She smiled an almost too happy smile, one that should have made me suspicious from that point on.  
  
"Now hurry home.What is your name?  
  
"Rosemary "  
  
" Well Rosemary, we wouldn't want your parents angry with me now that we have just become friends. Take good care of the necklace and maybe I will see you soon."  
  
I smiled and waved good-bye and wondered how long it would take for my wishes to come true. I can laugh now at how I should have wished that none of these wishes came true. I was stupid to trust her. She did not lie for they all come true.  
  
I became very famous because of the day the guards found the King Thudalk and Queen Alana dead on their ornate chairs with me asleep on the floor cuddled up to a bloody knife. I was from that day forward known by everyone as the little girl who murdered the king and queen of Tubika. No matter how I screamed my innocence, it was all in vain.  
  
And until now I haven't really tried to dance since then. I think I would be a wonderful dancer, the greatest in fact if I could only remember the steps. But wait before I start feeling sorry for myself I must remember, I asked for this, all of this.  
  
I saw the future all right. Right when I ran back to the palace I saw myself asleep on a rug that was in the throne room. I failed to see what was in my hand. I also saw the Prince Kladuth and me talking but I did not see the chains on my hands or the rats in my cage or the anger in his face. I have seen many things but never have they shown what I really needed to know like now, I have seen myself crying in a garden much like this but what I didn't see was at that exact moment, Prince Ryan Thudalk son of the King and Queen of Tubika come up with five guards and they didn't look happy.  
  
A/N * Hey everyone, I am still unsure about this chapter. I think I may have said too much at one go butumyea.sigh, please leave some encouragement or some advice to make it better. And feel free to write corrections of mistakes because then I will go and find them and fix them! Yay! Ok yea Ima gonna go now but you review! 


	10. Prince's Ponderings

A/N* A short chapter compared with the last couple but I have part of the next chapter written up so it should be up shortly. I would like to apologize for the last chapter cuz it was really sloppy and because I wasn't sure if I liked it I didn't read it over and I wrote really messily. I don't know if it is any better but please feel free to look it over and chapter 8 first because it may clear up some confusion. You may thank Aduial Elenath For keeping me in line hehe. Thanks soo much for you criticism and see everyone she told me to fix something and I did and then I did the unthinkable I THANKED her!!!! Hahahahah! So feel free to do it and I will be sure to thank you too. Tee hee. Lotrfreak I am really glad that you like it and I hope that you keep reading and reviewing!  
  
~Ryan~  
  
I can't believe that she even dared to come here. How dare she?? To put herself in the way of other people who she hurt so much, well this time it won't happen again. I don't know what happened or what possessed her to even consider.  
  
It is over now. It is not my problem because this time she is not too young to pay. It is as simple at that. Tomorrow she will burn like the witch she is in front of everyone with the morning light. That is the justice that my parents deserve and the people of the country. I am already going to be at war with my own people because of my parent's deaths and I still just don't know if I am doing the right thing.  
  
The prince looked up and studied his surroundings. He was in his study. This place was more like a hidden getaway than anything else. It was a place where he did all of his thinking and no one knew where it was except for him. The only way people could get a hold of him was through a bell that was on the wall. This room had been a gift from a fairy after his parents had died. It had many things that demonstrated that a fairy had created it. There were windows that he could look out of but on the outside no was able to see in. The walls were decorated with a royal red drapes and a ceiling that portrayed the weather of his mood. Right now it was a storm. It wasn't very violent but still menacing. There was a simple hammock that had a floating stand next to it with a candle and a book on "The Strategies of Wars" in which he had spent many nights falling asleep to its technical advice. He was hoping to learn a way to have this war as bloodless as possible.  
  
The floor was covered in a rug. This rug had power that enabled him to see what was going on in other places that might affect him. When he was still nine it told him stories of brave warriors who fought heroically. Today he was looking down at the rug to see Rosie who had become Rosemary. An older more mature girl of the younger version of the girl he had played with many times when they were children. She was staring out into the darkness of her cell at nothing in particular. There were many things he wished to know, like what was she thinking. Here she was sitting in this dark cell with the prospect of being killed in the morning. Why was she so calm? Why did she come here in the first place? Why did she kill them?  
  
He couldn't stop thinking what if she hadn't killed them? What if he was making a mistake? Sometimes I feel like I am not fit to be the prince! After all of the training and advisors' advise and everything else he couldn't help the feeling that he was making a mistake. The same feeling he had when he saw her in the dungeon the first time. He was young then he didn't know any better. He was overcome with grief or at least that is what his advisors' said. Then they advised him to step down from the throne because after all he was just a young prince only seven years of age and the kingdom entering into war the day after the King and Queen died. They all said that his people would be well cared for and he would get a small principality to rule when he became of age.  
  
Well he had become of age. He was seventeen now and he could now see how he was tricked out of giving up his father's kingdom to a tyrant. The war happened and then she took over and had been oppressing his people ever since and he had been forced to watch with next to nothing to do about it. He had tried before to get other countries to back him up on attacking and taking back his throne but the countries would only laugh in his face. Saying something thing along the lines of how can we take a poor little prince seriously who has obviously not recovered from his parent's deaths. Come back when you have just cause. It was the same old story. He still couldn't believe that he was the only one who could see the pain and torment that his people had to suffer. Although recently, people had started to listen to him like his good friend Prince Char of Kyrria. Char talked his dad into listening to Ryan and they are now in the middle of negotiating an alliance. King Jerrold is a reasonable man and was very understanding of his position. Now he just had to wait.  
  
For a while longer he was lost in his many thoughts when that little golden bell on the wall rang. He glanced up and rang another bell twice saying that he would meet whomever in the library. He jumped up and ran over to the shoot that spat him directly on to a sofa in the library when no one was looking. He stood up as a guard came into the room. The guard bowed.  
  
"A Lord Hezzel to see you, your majesty."  
  
Last thing that I would like to ask really, I was at the book store and I wanted to read the other princess books by Mrs. Levine and I came across this book called the Wish that is by her and I haven't read it yet cuz I don't have the money to pay for it. But I read the back and to my horror it sounds a lot like my story!! I am completely in a tizzy! I am too scared to read so if one of you could do me a favor and if you have read it tell me if they are too similar? If soo I may have to stop writing this story and the thought brings tears to my eyesss....please just tell me if you have read it. Thanks! 


	11. Dungeon Debate

Prince Ryan gave the guard a confused look. "Please, send him in."  
  
He stayed standing to greet the old man. And was surprised to see him unchanged from his memory. His hair was longer and maybe grayer and he was somewhat short. Unfortunately compared to Ryan's grand height he looked considerably short. He still had that twinkle in his big brown eyes that one could always see his mood. This time the once pleasant natured twinkle was now a fire that Ryan had never seen.  
  
"Hezzel it has been a long time. I can't even imagine the purpose of this visit."  
  
"Phine Hyan, it has been a long time, but I don't think it is hahd to undehstand the puhpose of this visit. You hafe put Hosemahy in this dungeon and you do not know why I am heeh? Hyan you should know."  
  
"You know as well as I do that she murdered the King and Queen of Thudalk and for that she will burn. Not even you can stop something like this just because you like her as a person. She has done something that is unforgivable and for that she must pay." He said this more to himself as if trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. Unfortunately for him, Hezzel saw right through him.  
  
"Hyan, this is Hosie. The same leettle gihl who was youh playmate when you wehe a leettle boy. Now you must explain to me how you think that she muhdehed the people who wehe giving heh a home."  
  
"Hezzel, I understand your concern but do you know where I stand, or better yet what about my people? When my parents were killed I was advised to give up my kingdom for the good of the people. Now that I have done what is 'for the good of the people' I am now to sit by as the person who was next in line to rule is making them her slave? I lost my parents, I lost my kingdom, and now I must sit by while some over zealous tyrant is turning my people into slaves. And oh by the way I am going to war with them tomorrow! My parents taught me to be a ruler, to do anything and everything for the love of your people and they have been waiting many years to have justice. Two rulers that made the years they ruled a golden age in the kingdom are dead and their freedom is lost. They have been waiting for this justice and I will die before I take that away from them!"  
  
Hezzel had waited patiently during this powerful speech that was filled with anguish. He saw how the prince let out his suffering over the years and how much he blamed himself for the faults of others. But now it was Hezzel's turn.  
  
"Justice you say? What justice will you gife youh people when you kill the whong pehson? If you kill heh you will hafe lost youh parents, kingdom, and best fhiend not to mention the pehson who heally did muheh youh pahents is still out in the wohld with what should be youh people's fheedom! You cannot tell me that you beliefe heh capable of such a thing you and I both know this. Hafe you even talked to heh? Maybe she has an idea of who heally did kill youh pahents."  
  
Ryan held his head in his hands. He made his reply without looking up.  
  
"What then do you propose I do?" Ryan glanced up at Hezzel just in time to see him smile.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rosie looked up at the barred window. She knew that that it wouldn't be long before they came for her. She was surprised that they hadn't tortured her or something. I mean after all she did escape after the first time.  
  
It was weird though. Despite the fact that her life would end in the morning she felt at ease. There was no use worrying. She had only one regret and that was not finishing what she had set out to do. As she lay there she thought of how things might have been if she had succeeded. Would they be better or worse? Would people know that it wasn't her who killed the King and Queen? Hmmm so many questions. But that didn't matter.  
  
Just then she had a crazy idea.  
  
What if she tried to escape? She almost kicked herself for not thinking about it before. I mean she had come this far, why give up so easily. 'Come on Rosie you were made to think better than this' she thought. The guard makes his rounds every fifteen minutes and it has been about seven. He is young; I will use that to my advantage.  
  
As soon as he came by she started to cough really hard and didn't stop. The guard gave her a concerned look. Here she was going to die tomorrow and he actually cared whether she lived to die!  
  
"Miss? Miss? Are you OK?" He called into the cell.  
  
"I .need .helllp.!" I said as I hacked out each word. He jangled the keys to get into my little room. I waited. This was going to be too easy. As soon as the door was open he kneeled down to give me some water and I threw a handful of dirt in his face grabbed his keys and locked the cell door as I left him in there cursing like a drunken sailor.  
  
As I walked through the dungeon there were a couple of other prisoners as I passed that asked for me to save them. I just kept running, if I was lucky I would be able to find my way out of this palace. I raced up a flight of what seemed to be endless stairs hoping that they would lead me to a door out of here. Finally I reached a door and nervously turned its handle. When I finally opened the door I found Prince Ryan standing right in the doorway with Hezzel behind him.  
  
A/N* Cool chap huh? Oh yea you know it was .riiiiiight. Haha just felt like saying that cuz well I am in a wacky mood. A special thanks to Aduial Elenath~ I was soo happy that you told me that cuz it was weird to find a book that was by the same author as Ella and I am writing a similar plot. But I promise that I made the plot before I read the back of the book and I haven't read the book. So I am not plagiarizing in any way. And I am glad that you like my story. Since you are one of my most faithful reviewers I wanted to ask if you thought I should divide this story into two stories. Making the Hattie and Olive story one and the Rosemary story another? If anyone else thinks this is a good idea then please say so. Icepixie~ I am glad you like my story too! And thanks for noticing that the mistakes were fixed. I hate editing, I hate reading what I write, is that sad or what? Now I wanted to give you the chance to pelt tomatoes at me hehe cuz well I did it to you, and it is only fair. Hehe. Ok until next time! Tootles! 


	12. And the Adventure Begins

~Rosie~  
  
"Wow, you've wasted no time." Ryan remarked snidely.  
  
"So I guess I should just turn around and go back to my cell now. I wouldn't want to trouble this great prince with having to do the dirty work." She paused. "Oh forgive me your highness I forgot bow."  
  
"Your sarcasm does you no credit."  
  
"Hosie, Hyan. Stop this nonsense!" Hezzel growled at us. "Hosie? Are you ok?"  
  
"You know what? I change my mind. This is crazy, I can't believe you talked me into this Hezzel. She certainly is acting innocent!" Ryan said accusingly.  
  
"Oh your royal majesty, your mercy exceeds that of hornet!" Rosie said childishly and not seeing Hezzel's patience wearing thin Ryan made a response.  
  
"I can't believe you! After all, I am here to help you!" Rosie was about to reply with something along the lines of 'Oh my hero' when Hezzel started talking before her.  
  
"That is enough!! Hosie stop goating him and Hyan stop being so gullible! We hafe serious business to take cahe of and you waste time fighting! Hosie and Hyan I must get you out of hehe at once. I think that you hafe stayed too long."  
  
"You've got.I mean yes .but why? What is wrong Hezzel?"  
  
"No time heally to explain. I need both you and Hyan to leafe at once. Thehe ahe two hohses waiting outside with efehything you will need." Then he turned to face Rosemary, "Hosie, you must tell Hyan."  
  
She knew immediately what he was talking about but really didn't like the prospect of telling him of little sympathy, "But, Hezzel do you really think that is necessary?"  
  
"Yes, it is of the utmost impohtance. I will see you soon, the hohses will lead you to whehe I will meet you. Thehe I will explain efehything. But you must go."  
  
"You do know that I am fighting a war tomorrow Hezzel?" Ryan asked Hezzel questioningly like Hezzel had suddenly gone insane.  
  
"Yes, yes of couhse and that is paht of the heason you must go too." Ryan started to object but Hezzel wouldn't hear it.  
  
"No you must go and that is it."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ryan and Rosemary had set out on their journey to who knows where. They hadn't spoken a word so far and Rosemary was getting bored with the silence but she was scared to talk to Ryan. She remembered what Hezzel had said about telling Ryan about the. well, the thing that had happened to her and until now she hadn't told anyone, except Hezzel. It had been really hard for her to tell Hezzel but when she told him, he seemed to be blaming himself for everything. Which she guessed that was just his nature. She was kind of hoping that Ryan would ask but so far he hadn't, which annoyed her to no extant. So it was up to her to do everything!  
  
"So I see you haven't changed." She said quietly, breaking the silence.  
  
"And neither have you." He responded, sounding like he really didn't feel like continuing to talk.  
  
"Don't start blaming me for this. You know, if you hadn't locked me in your dungeon you might still be dancing the night away at your little ball."  
  
"No. You are not going to be pinning this on me. Why did you come back here in the first place? Because I wouldn't have had to put you in there if you had just stayed wherever you were hiding before, this wouldn't be happening right now."  
  
"Wow, I am so impressed that you finally remembered that I had a life! After the first time you imprisoned me I went off into the woods where I had been living for quite some time. I had no idea that you would be here, besides aren't you ruling the wrong place?"  
  
Ryan was hesitant in his reply, like something was bothering him, other than her. "When they died, my aunt took over the country. My advisors said that was for the best and I was given this city when I was fifteen. King Jerrold turned it into a principality but it is still a part of Kyrria because I guess it was getting too big."  
  
"Oh." She felt lame now. Everything she had said to him from that point made her feel even more childish which made her mad but she would never show it.  
  
"So now you are going to start feeling sorry for someone else?" "Never mind, just forget it. What was it that you are supposed to tell me?"  
  
"Well with that introduction how should I begin?" I rolled my eyes, suddenly becoming self-conscious.  
  
"Hezzel made it sound really important and anyway these trees are growing monotonous and if I don't have some change I will fall asleep. I don't trust you to wake me if I do."  
  
"Then how do you know if what I am going to tell you is true?"  
  
He thought for a moment, "Because Hezzel told you to tell me."  
  
"Fine." She would have rather been anywhere, doing anything rather than telling him at that moment because the prospect of his reaction brought terror to her. She really didn't want him to feel sorry for her and she wasn't even sure if he would believe her. As she continued to talk the sun was sinking and the woods growing denser and she was unable to see his face or reaction. For all she knew he was asleep. 'Well at least then I won't be enthralled by his response,' she thought to herself.  
  
She tried to keep it short but there were a lot of details and once she got started the words came along easier. When she finally finished she waited for him to say something. Anything really to show that he had heard her and understood what she had been saying.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" He asked in a quiet manner, which she took to mean that he was hurt she hadn't told him before.  
  
"Well, when you came down into the dungeon you really weren't into the believing Rosie business. And in any case that is in the past, what we need to find out is what does that have to do with Hezzel taking us.here."  
  
A/N* Ok, kinda short. I try to get my chaps to at least a thousand words. Yea know that way I am not giving you all of these cliff hangars and barely anything else. Well this one is 970 words so I am only 30 short (not counting author's note). I found something interesting that I may use later on in the story but I am not sure. On this website I went to it tells the meaning of names and I looked up Ryans, Rosemary, and Hezzel just out of curiosity and guess what Ryan means - little king and he is a prince, Rosemary means-dew of the sea and I guess that is ok but not very oh how appropriate, but the last I thought was good like Ryan's and that was Hezzel. I couldn't find Hezzel but there was something like it which was Hazeal- it is Biblical meaning one that sees God. Now that is pretty good for someone like me who didn't even chose them cuz of their meaning. Maybe you should try it with some of the characters you picked and see if it works out as well as mine. Icepixie~ yea I am glad you said something about that. I am still not sure what person to put it in. I guess I am going to keep it in the person I am writing in this chap and maybe later I will fix the other chaps. But thanks for your review! I still LOVE getting them cuz even if they are just criticism it means someone has taken the time to do read and write and that means sooooooo much too me so thanks a mill and congrats to Aduial Elenath for finishing her story! Now You review! 


	13. A Whacking Good Time

~ Ryan & Rosemary~  
  
Rosemary looked up and saw before her a cottage covered in ivy just like in her memory. It was run down because it hadn't been lived in for quite some time. She shivered thinking about it and jumped down into the snow that came up to her ankles. Her dress that she still had on from the ball was rumpled and covered a foot of all the snow around her.  
  
Then suddenly she fell to ground as if knocked down by some invisible force. Right when Ryan looked down on the ground she disappeared. Vanished. He looked at the ground questioningly as if to see her reappear as quickly as she had gone but nothing happened. Even her footsteps were gone. Like she was erased.  
  
He looked around nervously and then started calling out her name. The horse she had been riding shot him a glance that made him think he had gone mad. 'Maybe it is just one of her stupid and childish.' his thought trailed off as he recalled her story that she had just told him. He decided to look around for her.  
  
After a while he was getting cold and tired. He really didn't want to stop looking for her because despite their differences he wasn't completely sure about her. She was a lying snake who had murdered his parents or a really nice girl with a crappy life. Either way he wanted to find her to make sure that she was okay if she was innocent and if she wasn't innocent then he wanted to be the one to hurt her.  
  
He was about to give up when he saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Quickly he maneuvered his horse over to where she lay. Her golden hair flung every which way and her gown tattered but blending into the snow. He jumped down from his horse and scooped her up into his arms out of the snow. She was bleeding from her head a little and her lips were blue. He almost feared her dead but she had a small steady breath coming from her lips. He snatched off the cloak around him and wrapped her in it. He has never seen her so helpless before not even when she was in the dungeon had she looked this small and innocent. 'Innocent .' he thought but then shook his head and leaped onto his horse. He rode as hard as his horse would allow.  
  
Finally up in front of him was a small homely cabin. After tying his horse to a tree, he carefully reached up to receive Rosemary in his arms. She was starting to look more like a rag doll because she had more color in her face but she was still limp. He raced inside the house, opening the door without knocking. Instantly he was greeted with a sweet aroma of cinnamon and warmth.  
  
There was a plump old woman and man sitting down to a feast. They both looked up at Ryan with Rosemary wilted in his arms and started laughing.  
  
  
  
A/N* hahah!! The evil cliffhanger. Who are these people and why are they laughing?!?!?!? Stayed tuned for another episode of .you don't think I would be THAT cruel? Hehe  
  
  
  
  
  
Then everything in the room started changing. The plump old woman and man faces started to bubble and boil. The room was spinning and the feast that was once so nicely laid out on the table started to break apart into little spiders and cockroaches. They scurried off the table and to plague the floor. The woman and the man stopped bubbling and exploded all over the place to reveal two of the most grotesque creatures Ryan had ever seen. Even beating out the orges with green slimy skin and boils all over them. They had random patches of fur and they drooled this yellow substance. Ryan set Rosemary on the counter next to the door and pulled out his sword. But as he soon found the yellow drool when it landed on a spider or cockroach, the insect grew much bigger.  
  
Just as Ryan was hacking away at the bugs and the two nasties, Rosemary regained consciousness. She opened her eyes to see Ryan whacking wildly at invisible things and yelling insults to hallucinations while stomping on the ground.  
  
"Get, You nasty little!!" Ryan shouted while he smashed the dusty table in half with his sword.  
  
"Ryan! Ryan! Stop!" Rosemary screamed on the top of her lungs but then something happened that she hadn't expected. Ryan turned around and started after her. She let out a scream of terror and ran out the open door. The dress she was wearing did not help her cause. As soon as she was a distance from the cabin she fell flat on her face. The snow burned her face but she sat up to look into Ryan's icy blues that now looked possessed. She did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed a handful of snow and threw it smack in the middle of his face. He paused. Then looked around. He seemed confused and even more so when he saw his sword at Rosemary's throat. He slowly lowered it enough to have her answer his question.  
  
"What happened?" " Will you get that thing away from my face!" But Ryan didn't even move. Rosie sighed.  
  
"All I remember is one minute I was staring at the cabin the next thing I know, I was on a counter inside the cabin watching you whack it to bits. I tried to stop you and you came chasing after me with that stick of metal in your hand. Then you woke-up and here we are. Now will you move it?" Rosie left out the part where she hit him with a snowball but it wasn't the sort of thing that she would tell someone with a sword pointed at her throat.  
  
Ryan stood there for a moment trying to decide whether to believe her or not when Rosie started staring behind him with this terror in her face. He turned around thinking to see another nasty but there was nothing behind him. He turned around to look at her again but she had stood up and started looking around.  
  
"What is wrong?" Ryan asked her slightly annoyed.  
  
"This is where it happened." She answered but really didn't want to say more. It was like history was repeating itself. Only before it didn't seem like her life was in danger. This was the same spot that she had tripped before and that she had met the woman who had stole her life. The cabin was just out of view and she was sitting next to the same tree she had that day. Then she thought 'Why would Hezzel want them to come here? All the answers are with that woman. If we find her we can find everything...wait why isn't Hezzel here yet?'  
  
Ryan still did not understand yet was looking at her like she had suddenly gone mad. She hoped that he wasn't going to start attacking her again but instead he asked her a question.  
  
"What do you mean this is where it.oh." He fell silent but then asked something else, "Why did Hezzel bring us here and what do I have to do with this?"  
  
Then Rosemary remembered something.  
  
A/N* Yay! Yet another done ( : I am soo happy. You know I had writer's block. Which is weird cuz I have later chapters written and know exactly how it is going to end but it is getting there that is the prob. But I found that if I just started typing then things just sorta come together. So I am lucky cuz this could have been really bad. But thanks again to my two reviewers Icepixie and Aduial Elenath- thanks for your praise I just am so happy that you are my reviewers because with that kind of encouragement it makes it a lot easier and fun to write this! So thanks and until next chapter. 


	14. Nomads

"Why ahe you doing this?It is me who you should be punishing!" a familiar voice echoed.  
  
"My dear sweet Onery do you really think this is just about you and that silly boy and girl. They were just the beginning! The start of my reign just minor stepping-stones. Haha!" She cackled but it was in a silky voice that brought terror to Rosemary.  
  
"Uihna! You must undehstand that I am just thying to help. Whehe hafe you gone? What has happened to you? It is all my fault.it is all my fault." the man continued to mummer the words.  
  
"You fool! Do not call me such! I am not her and I never will be again!"  
  
"Yes Uhina, you will always be heh no matteh what."  
  
"Why must you always live in the past? Such a pity, you had great potential. Guards take him away, I have no use of him now."  
  
The voices replayed in her mind. She knew one voice was Hezzel but why did she call him Onery? It was no use now but she figured if Hezzel was there then he more than likely wouldn't be here.  
  
Rosemary was deep in her thoughts sitting on the floor in the cabin after Ryan had thoroughly checked it for any more bugs or 'nasties' as he called them. Neither her nor Ryan could think of an explanation as to why he had seen them but Rosemary had a feeling it had something to do with why Hezzel wasn't here yet. What was strange about those voices was that it couldn't have been her wish because she didn't see anything she just heard the voices and plus it probably told her more that if it had been her wish to see the future.  
  
As she gazed into the fire and watched the flames dance, she thought of Hezzel. She really didn't know very much about him other than he was a good friend and he kept to himself and never let her down. Suddenly she realized he never let her down. If he wasn't here by now then he wasn't coming Who ever that woman was she has him. But who is that woman?  
  
Ryan interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"Rosemary? I am going to sleep. If Hezzel comes I am sure that he will knock or wake us up but for now lets both go to sleep. I mean if I am seeing things and you are disappearing then maybe we should just get some sleep and things will be clearer in the morning." Ryan tried to rationalize but she really didn't feel like arguing. There was nothing she could do for Hezzel now. She didn't even know what she was doing here in the first place or why Ryan was here or why did she have to tell Ryan about her curses. She sighed and then curled up on the floor next to the fire. She then realized Ryan's cape on her and wondered why she hadn't noticed before.  
  
"Here, your cape." She offered it back to Ryan. But Ryan shook his head.  
  
"No, keep it. I have a blanket."  
  
"Thank you." She murmured having trouble with this new found civility between her and Ryan. But just laid down on the ground near the fire and very quickly drifted off to sleep.  
  
She and Ryan had been sleeping for a while and Rosemary was having a very nice dream. Her parents were still alive and so were Ryan's and she had never gone into the woods and wasn't cursed. She and Ryan were about ten and twelve and playing near the pond. Then Ryan looked up and saw smoke coming from the woods and he ran to go see what it was. Rosemary ran speedily after him and when they reached the woods they met the woman with the necklace, like before, but Ryan and the lady were fighting. They started fighting with swords. Ryan knocked the sword from the lady's hand but as it fell it turned into a ball of fire that started sweeping through the woods. Rosemary just stood there watching and it was getting so hot but she couldn't stop staring at the lady's eyes and Ryan was on the ground not moving. Then Hezzel's voice came from nowhere screaming 'Wake-up Rosie! Wake-up!"  
  
"WAKE-UP!!!!! I am not going to carry you! Come-on!" Ryan screamed.  
  
Rosie jerked her eyes open and sat-up. The cabin was on fire. This time Ryan was not hallucinating.  
  
"Rosie we have to go!" He grabbed her hand and sat her on her feet. Ryan and her raced out of the cabin. Ryan went to get the horses.  
  
"This place is cursed. We have to leave. Hezzel will just have to find us or we him." Ryan shouted over the roar of the fire.  
  
"He's not coming." Rosie hollered back at him.  
  
"What do you mean he isn't coming?" Ryan sounded really irritated as they climbed onto their panicking horses.  
  
"I will explain later but we have to go! NOW!" Rosemary grabbed Ryan's black horse's reigns and dragged them along with her horse away from the falling cabin.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Life hadn't changed at all for Rosie since coming here. Survival was a consistent struggle but now she felt like she was dragging other people down with her. Ryan hadn't asked for this and probably would love to be somewhere else right now. She looked at him and his horse. The horse really was gorgeous. It was completely black with a white and black tail and mane. It needed a name. So did hers. Her horse was white, totally white like the snow that surrounded them. Ceridwen. That would be a perfect name for her because it means white, fair, and blessed. She had to think for one for Ryan's horse a little, something that suits him and a horse like that.  
  
"Stop Armel." Rosemary started to say suddenly. "My name isn't Armel." Ryan shot back, still bitter over her grabbing his horse the last time to get him out of the way.  
  
"Not you, your horse! And be quiet!" This time Ryan heard something too and jumped down off his horse to scout out around them. He went behind trees and then came to a bush. He pointed his sword at it and said very distinctly,  
  
"Come out, we know you are there. There is no use in hiding anymore."  
  
And then it did exactly what Ryan said. It came out, only, in a big way.  
  
A/N* ahh another chapter done. I hope you like the horses names and nothing is too confusing. Well I have thank yous for Aduial Elenath- thanks, I am really glad you like this story. It is reviews like those that make writing this even more fun! Carylissa- I know you are only on chapter three at the moment but if you get here then thanks for reviewing and I am glad you liked it so far. Now keep up the good reviewing and review! 


	15. Yahdoo

~Rosemary & Ryan & ??~ The bush started to rustle but there was nothing other than leaves to be seen. Ryan took a step back afraid that they were dealing with something a little bigger than he thought. Then he heard a voice or a grunt like a person or creature mumbling.  
  
Ryan walked backwards slowly then stopped in front of Ceridwin and Rosemary pulled out a dagger, that she never went anywhere without, but stayed on her horse. Then these footprints started appearing in a circle around them. They came faster and faster and the dust started rising from the ground in clouds. Rosemary and Ryan started coughing and couldn't see anything in front of them.  
  
Ryan had had enough. He knelt down on the ground and put his sword an inch above the ground. The noise and dust stopped and there was a thud like the thing had tripped. Ryan pounced on the same spot that he had heard the thud and stayed there until the dust settled.  
  
Once the air had cleared and everyone refrained from hacking and coughing, everyone held their eyes on what Ryan was on top of, including the horses. Ryan pulled out the sword that was next to arm and pointed it at the thing under him. A whimpering sound was heard and then a pop.  
  
"P p pep pl ppleeaase sssssire ddd ddid didon't kkk kk kill mm mmee!!" A little creature who looked like a gnome but wasn't quite one, he was an elf but he wasn't that either. He had wrinkly old skin that was encrusted with dirt. His eyes were two brown mud pies that were a little runny from his fear. He was somewhat lacking in the vertical department but was very fast, as he had just demonstrated. Judging from his clothes he didn't stand out from the woody scenery. His clothes were a combination of mossy green burlap pants and a brown burlap shirt.  
  
"You make quite a bit of trouble for such a small creature." Ryan replied threateningly. He had put two and two together.  
  
"I means no you harm, sire I just follows mes orders, sire." The creature seemed to calm itself but Ryan was unsatisfied. Rosemary saw this as a lucky break in her so unlucky world. Ryan raised his sword to kill the creature.  
  
"Noo!" Rosemary screamed and jumped down off of Ceridwin. "Don't you see he is the answer we have been looking for like why we are here in the first place maybe in exchange for his life we can have some answers." Rosemary knew she was setting herself up for a fight but she knew that she would probably win this one.  
  
"Rosie, dearie. I am already looking after one fugitive I do not need another one that can turn invisible and besides how do we know he can be trusted?  
  
"Oh Is can have trust sire, yup yup, Is has lots of trust. Is has sooo much trust that." He trailed off at the look in Ryan's steely eyes, which dared him to make one move.  
  
"We can at least ask him some questions and see how he answers them." Rosemary tried to reason but she could tell that Ryan was short on patience after the great luck they were having. This made her really angry.  
  
"Fine, be like your barbaric self. I mean I should have expected it right? You Princes kill for pleasure anyway. I have seen you in the forest hunting killing every living thing in sight but never mind the fact that this may the last bit of luck that we are offered! So fine here or better yet I would hate to make you do something so hard. Let me do it for you." She took two strides over to him with her dagger and was starting to swoop down. The creature was whimpering again but Ryan grabbed her hand.  
  
"Ok, you have made your point we will ask him some questions and then we will see what happens." He got up and dragged the creature up by its grubby rags and set it down roughly with its back to a tree. Then he pointed his sword at the creature to commence the interrogation.  
  
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ryan asked the first question threateningly. "I's sire isa Yahdoo. My'sa mistress has sent I's to a." He hesitated finishing this sentence and looked at Ryan's sword and then at Rosemary who did not show the sympathy he was looking for.  
  
"I's here to .complete my'sa mistress mission. Yes my'sa mistress mission." He seemed satisfied with this answer but unfortunately Ryan and Rosemary were not.  
  
"You are going to have to do a lot better than that. Just tell us everything and maybe we will spare your life. How about who is your mistress?" Ryan demanded.  
  
"No needs to be mmemean sire. I's just follows orders. I's good." The creature responded nervously.  
  
"Ansswer the question." Ryan growled.  
  
"No's need to be hasty. I's thinks we can work through this." Ryan raised his sword about to bring Yahdoo one last blow.  
  
"Nooo nooo" Yahdoo moaned. "She, she isa queen! She isa good queen. She isa going to be queen of everythings sos I's can be happy and sos everyones can. We must stop you because you stop us from having happiness."  
  
"What country is she queen of?" Ryan asked as if he already knew the answer.  
  
"Why she isa good Queen Urina of Hoperria." Yahdoo looked at them like they were from another world.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Why yes, do you know my'sa good queen?"  
  
"Yes, unfortunately. What mission has she sent you on?" Ryan asked, again already knowing the answer.  
  
"Well, she wishes me to bring you to a stop." Yahdoo answered sheepishly and his wrinkly cheeks reddened.  
  
"So you were the one who has been doing all of this to us?" Rosie looked at him and sighed. She knew that he had been the one who had burned down the cabin, made Ryan see things, and her disappear and he probably had a hand in Hezzel not being here. Anger returned and flowed threw her veins.  
  
"So, you are the one who almost killed me, made Ryan go crazy, burned down the cabin, and your are the reason Hezzel isn't here." She waited impatiently for a response.  
  
"Yes, milady." He mumbled.  
  
"You disgusting worthless creature! How DARE YOU!!!" And in one swoop she would have ended his life if Ryan's hand hadn't grabbed hers.  
  
"Wait!" He looked at Rosie and then at Yahdoo. "Why is she doing this?"  
  
"She wants to be all powerful so that she can rule the world and take her vengeance on him and others of his kind." Ryan looked at Rosie and then back to Yahdoo. "Who is he?" Ryan and Rosemary asked.  
  
"Oh the great fairy, who isa mean to my'sa queen. He isa baad man!"  
  
"Do you know this fairy's name?" Ryan asked because he had never heard of any bad fairies so chances were this man was a good man just on her wrong side.  
  
"No, I just know he isa the one powerful one trying to stop my'sa queen." Yahdoo shrugged and looked at Ryan glad that he didn't look angry. Rosemary looked confused but she was staring silently behind him at nothing in particular.  
  
"Well, I guess you will be hanging out with us now." Ryan sighed excepting his new burden very nicely.  
  
A/N Hey. I actually liked that chapter but it was really hard to write. Ohhh wells. I want to say that if anything is unclear up till now tell me cuz in the next chapter I am going to unconfuse the characters and hopefully if there is anything that you are guys are confused on say now or hold your piece until another opportunity. Plus I am on break so I have a little more time to write but I also have a huge physics paper due when I get back to school and the Scarlet Letter to read and oi don't get me started! What a break! Aduial Elenath- thanks, I can never thank any of you enough. Icepixie- I like your new story that is cool! And thanks for commenting on the names I went through name meaning books to find something suitable so thanks for acknowledging it. Oh and yea I love cliffhangers cuz I watch soaps so that is what makes me want to keep watching soo it will be unusual for me to not leave a cliffhanger. I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, safe travels, and Happy New Year!!!! 


	16. Yah & Doo

~Ryan & Rosemary~  
  
They were sitting in the middle of a clearing. Ryan had tied rope to Yahdoo's foot and the other end to a near by tree. It was just long enough for him to walk but he couldn't go far and if he turned himself invisible they still would be able to find him even though he said he couldn't do it anymore.  
  
Ryan had decided that they should have a nice meal; despite Rosemary's protests he went hunting and came back with some meat. Rosemary went hunting and came back with some fruit and vegetables. Yahdoo was delighted to see the fruit and vegetables and horrified at the killings that Ryan brought back. They all ate a small feast and immediately following, Yahdoo was snoring away cuddled up at the base of his tree.  
  
Rosemary watched him snore and snuggled-up to the dirt occasionally until Ryan disturbed her thoughts.  
  
"You know we haven't really had a chance to talk about all of this." He said cautously. Rosemary looked at him and then to the fire in front of her.  
  
"What do you want to know? Actually I have some questions for you too. But I will let you go first."  
  
"All right, lets start with how do you know that Hezzel isn't coming?" Rosemary had anticipated this question and knew how to respond.  
  
"Ryan, do you remember what Hezzel was like when you knew him?" Ryan looked confused but responded.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Has he ever be late or made you worry?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "Well, he has never let me down before which means that someone is stopping him from coming or maybe it is that queen that he was talking about." She glanced back at Yahdoo who was now chatting cheerfully to himself in his sleep.  
  
"That queen, Urina. When I disappeared I had a vision but I only heard voices. I heard Hezzel's voice and he called the woman Uhina but with his accent it has to be Urina. This leads me to my question. Do you know who this queen is?"  
  
"Yes." Ryan said blankly.  
  
"Would you like to expand on your answer?" Rosemary rolled her eyes, missing the hatred in Ryan's eyes.  
  
"She is the queen of Hoperria."  
  
"He said that already. Am I missing something?"  
  
"Wow you really have been isolated. After my parent's deaths, she is the queen who took over my parent's kingdom because I was too young." Rosemary was silent while talked in a bitter tone. The fire let shadows dance on his face making his face seem even more hateful. "She is the one who has enslaved my people and everyone in her country. The union was simple, she didn't even have to argue or fight to get my kingdom because they bordered each other and they just gave it to her. I was the only heir and I was too young. Today I should be ruling it again but she refused to return the kingdom to me and instead I was given a small principality to rule. I was able to convince Kyrria to help me fight and free my people. The war was to start two days ago."  
  
"That answers a lot of questions." Rosemary got up and started pacing like she was having a revelation. Ryan just sat there on the ground next to the fire looking at her pace and talking to herself.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't you see this makes everything clear. The woman in the woods, the woman that is queen of the country you are at war with, and the woman who was in my vision or whatever you want to call it is the same person! I feel so dumb but I mean this is why we are here and this is the reason you are here and I am here. Hezzel sent us away because she must be out to stop us or he wants us to do something. Plus with the powers that she has.I really don't think that a war will stop her." Ryan looked into her eyes that now held the light of their own fire in them that had ripped from innocence.  
  
"One thing is missing though, what does Hezzel want us to do?" Ryan asked Rosemary.  
  
"I don't know! I am amazed that I have figured out this much so far," Rosemary shouted near tears. She was going to lose it again. "We just have to stay away from her and figure out what Hezzel wants us to do. Maybe, Maybe that Yahdoo can tell us or maybe I should just go ask Queen Urina..." Rosemary prattled on while Ryan sighed and looked at the scene going on by the tree.  
  
"No Yah, we can't do it! She will kill us!!!"  
  
"Doo, if we don't then everyone will die and become like uss!!!"  
  
"But I am scaaaaaared."  
  
"You always were the scaredie elf!  
  
"Well you would be too if you always got in trouble, but wait you do! I mean look at us!"  
  
"This maybe our last and only chance to take our revenge!"  
  
"Hey, Yah and umm Doo, I hate to break-up this disagreement between great friends but I have several questions to ask you and your life.I mean lives, depend on your answers." Ryan smiled.  
  
  
  
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You buffoon!!!! I just do not understand you!!!! What is your purpose but to fail in life? And ruin mine? My last hope, Mapetis. You will find them and bring them the kind of luck they so lack now. Find out why Hezzel sent her away and what is it that Hezzel is hiding."  
  
Urina cooed at her raven and smiled. "You know I think you are the only one who understands. What a shame, I surround myself with buffoons. But not you Mapetis, now go and find what I am lacking."  
  
The raven cawed back at her and soared out into the foreboding sunset. Urina smiled to herself. It was so nice to have such a trustworthy friend even though it was a bird. She could have had so much more, but no. It was their loss and now they will pay for all the pain they caused her.  
  
She slumped unhappily into her throne chair and then sighed. She straightened her staff and stared into her crystal. She sat there silently crying when she heard someone snort and she was torn from her thoughts.  
  
"Queen Urina" An ugly creature snorted again but kept his eyes glaring at the ground which made him seem fasinated with. Queen Urina magically appeared right in front of the creature making him cry and cower.  
  
"This had better be worth my time." "They have found them." "Good, next time, if you value your lives, make sure you knock first." She said menacingly as her eyes burned through him. "Now, go before I change my mind."  
  
She turned and smiled as the creature ran sniveling from the room.  
  
Sorry but my parents limited time online, sorry short and sloppy prolly but I hope you enjoy, Eldainwe Aduial Elenath I will make corrections later hopefully! Icepixie- I hope I answered your question but if not then I will later on. Thanksssss soooooooo sooooooooo much! Love ya all and Happy NEW YEAR!!!!!!!! YAY! Now review! 


	17. Fiasco!

The creature looked nervously at Ryan and Rosie and then sighed heavily.  
  
"We better tell them Yah." "Wellll, whatever you think is best Doo, just don't let them hurt meee!!!!"  
  
Rosie took a step back, quite sure what to expect. She saw before her the same creature as before in the same clothes only it was talking to itself and metal cases always made her on edge. She was mainly scared of the element of surprise, something that had always been a problem.  
  
The creature took in a deep breath and then sat down in front of its tree. He seemed to be a little more relaxed because he knew that either way they would find out the truth and he was sure that if they didn't kill them then Urina would. It was the end for sure and there was no use in panicking. It was strangely something he was started to enjoy and finally get off his chest.  
  
"My name is Yah. That is short for Yahyuh. I am an elf in normal form that is.until I met Queen Urina." Rosie and Ryan waited while Yahyuh seemed to be gathering himself together. This was taking a great effort on his part.  
  
"My clan and I lived peacefully in the woods of Acantha Forest in the kingdom of Tubika. Until one of people found word that our monarchs were dead and that the queen from the bordering country Hoperria was going to take control. Immediately we sent our condolences to the royalty but they were not received warmly. In fact our messengers never returned. We were suspicious that this may have something to do with the new ruler because we had heard words from other elves that the queen was not a good queen but we had to know for sure. So we sent out two riders to the other country to spy and then send back word. Only one returned and he died a day later. He only said two words that sounded like 'evil' and 'regret' but that is all. We all knew that this was a warning but it was only the beginning. The very day that she sat on the throne she sent out her knights warning us that if we did not do as we were asked we would not live much longer."  
  
Ryan looked greatly pained at this story and Rosie could tell that he was blaming himself yet again. What he did not know was how much Rosie was blaming herself. She felt as if every death had been her fault and every suffering at her own hands the punishment of her own stupidity and fear. It was now that she was doing something and that was only because Hezzel had made her. She paused her thoughts to continue listening to Yahyuh's story.  
  
"So most of us were enslaved. I tried to create a rebellion but I was found out. I was trying to get the gnomes to help me because the queen was having trouble finding them. They all had hiding places in their caves and could escape better than us. Unfortunately she found me out. Dooewi, Doo for short the gnome leader at the time was there and well she made us one to make the story short because we were fighting and then she made us forever her servant. She gave us powers enough to do her bidding so to speak and as long as no one caught us we would be able to use them but as you see you found us and well here we are."  
  
"That is just great Yah you left out my part! I was the leader of the gnomes and well I was going to help him but I needed some more time and I guess we really didn't have that time. I sent my gnomes into the caves to gather other gnomes and anyone else willing to help us but they never returned. We really are lucky that we did not die like the others that crossed her but I am sure that we will die now." Doo retorted.  
  
It was just very strange the way the one body changed as each person inside it spoke. Rosie couldn't even begin to imagine having to share your body with someone. They would constantly know what you were thinking and you wouldn't have any privacy.  
  
"You are one optimist aren't you?! I really don't know how I made it this far!" Yah sounded very upset and the face was very contorted but then Rosie realized that it held two different faces on it if you looked closely at the contours and wrinkles. She didn't know what to think. Whether to believe his.their story or she was very confused.  
  
"Well that leads me to my next question." Ryan stepped in, "If you are telling the true then why have you given up so easily?"  
  
Yahdoo looked so sadden by this question "I am sure that you have seen many things in your life but have you ever experienced being a slave in your own country? Have you seen your fellow countrymen tortured and killed for thinking about rising against their ruler? Their ruler who is there to protect them and make life have the order to it so that one can truly experience it. She took that away. She took away our lives but I am not going to let her have my soul!" His eyes were tearing and Ryan was taken abash.  
  
He knew that the queen was evil but he never thought that she would go this far. So this is what life had been like for his people. He couldn't help but blame himself but he wasn't going to give-up now when they really needed him. He step toward Yahdoo and looked into his face.  
  
"I am Prince Ryan. My parents were King Thudalk and Queen Alana of Tubika. I am the reason for your suffering but now you must help me save your fellow countrymen and my people before it is too late."  
  
Yahdoo looked up at Ryan in a new light. He dropped to the ground and started pleading his allegence.  
  
"Prince Ryan, your majesty! You are our king now and the miracle we have been hoping for all these years! Bless you, bless you, bless you sire!"  
  
Then the creature looked like he was starting to throw some sort of fit. Rosie stepped back and watched the scene take place. It seemed that it was fighting with itself internally. It was like two people in a small burlap sack were having a wrestling match.  
  
"Stop this!" Ryan shouted only to be answered with a sarcastic mocking voice coming from Yahdoo.  
  
"Ohhh your Highnessss! A thousand apologies, I hate for your virgin eyes to see such vulgarity." He smiled wickedly and bowed before falling face first into the ground. The creature lifted its head again and looked with wet eyes at Ryan.  
  
"Prince no King Ryan! Doowei meant nothing bad sire! He knows not what he speaks of sire! Please forgive him!" The creature tumbled backward and banged its back into the tree only to cry out in pain."  
  
"Ohh no! Don't you even try to speak for me! Prince Ryan here IS the reason we are like this! He even said so himself!" Rosie figured that was Doowei speaking. She looked over at Ryan's reaction.  
  
"Noo. You can't say that. He is the only one of us who hasn't done anything wrong! I am the one to blame," Rosie screamed over Yahdoo's conflicts. "And you know it!" Rosie looked over at Ryan. She shook her head and the tears started to pour down her smudged face. Before Ryan or Yahdoo could say anything she ran off into the woods to hopefully lose them and to lose everything and anything that she might hurt.  
  
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Rosemary didn't think that she could touch anything any more without thinking that she might destroy it. She kept running and knew that she couldn't let them find her. She had to get away from them and stop them from destroying themselves just trying to help her. She had made it all these years without anyone and she was very fine until that night when she had that dream of Hezzel and decided to try to break the curse.  
  
She was fool. It was as simple as that. The woman that haunted her dreams was right she was a fool if she thought that anything would change because nothing ever would. Rosie didn't even think to cry anymore. Her tears had stopped as soon as she left because she felt that she deserved everything that life had dished out to her and so much more.  
  
Now she would go back to living in the forest. Being the protector of the woods. That was a laugh.it protected her more that she it. Well live could now go on. She had slowed down and was now in a clearing that was covered in a moss. It looked just like a bed so inviting. She slunk onto it and looked at her once elegant ball gown and laugh to herself. Finding clothes would have to be one of the first things that she did because there was no way she was going to live the rest of her life in that dress.  
  
She thought to herself what it would be like to wear elegant dresses everyday and to be admired and to live with people.  
  
A/N* hey sorry if this chap sux but I've been having a lot of crappy days and I didn't want to punish you but I haven't read over this chap so for all I know it is in Yiddish. Please feel free to yell at me becuz there is no excuse I just didn't want you to think that through all my crappy days I didn't think about you guys and I didn't want to leave you hanging. 


	18. A Pair of Evergreen Eyes

A pair evergreen eyes watched silently as Rosemary twirled around in her pearly white dress and not so gracefully fall onto the cold wet ground only to smooth out her slightly muddy skirts in a puffy circle around her. When Rosemary yawned and stretched out her arms slowly while laying herself down on her mossy mat, the silent pair of evergreen eyes waited for her to drift out into a world of dreams.  
  
The leaves around the owner of these eyes rustled as he made his way carefully to inspect this new creature. The creature rolled over to her back and sighed heavily, the eyes stopped. Once the mussed creature was settled in her reverie, the eyes continued slowly creeping. The creature breathed slowly and evenly so peaceful from the way she looked when she was awake. The eyes looked over this creature trying to find what sort of creature lay before him.  
  
The creature had pale skin on her face that seemed contented in the place that her dreams had whisked her away to. Her arms were tangled in her hair that was a mess but still a golden shine in all of its disgrace. The once purely white dress now muddy only telling the story of her cursed life. She shivered as a breeze swept through and shook the trees. It whispered to the eyes that there was a storm to come.  
  
The owner of these deep evergreen eyes whistled into the now constant wind. A horse galloped gallantly out of thin air like a ghost before a storm. The ghostly horse nodded its head at his master. The eyes turned back to the new creature and muttered some intelligible words over her then scooped her into his arms and then carefully laid her on his humungous horse before leaping on himself and dashing away into the wind.  
  
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Ryan started after Rosemary about to lounge onto his horse and steal her back but Yahdoo stopped him by grabbing the cuff of his shirt. Ryan whipped around with his sword posed at Yahdoo's throat. Yahdoo released his sleeve and took a quick step back. Ryan lowered his sword and looked back searching madly for a glimpse of Rosemary but couldn't see anything through the trees.  
  
"You let her get away!"  
  
"Master, you do know that if you caught her she would have runaway again." Yahdoo said cautiously now losing his boldness. Ryan  
  
"I know. she is wrong and we need her. Besides she will come back, I know she will.if we can find her. And because I know you know your way around you are going to help." He said impassively. Yahdoo knew it was pointless to argue and just nodded silently.  
  
"Come Armel." Ryan called for his horse without realizing what he had called him.  
  
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Rosemary sat up and blinked her eyes open. She had a wonder nap after so much travel and running. This was a really nice place that she had slept. Then it hit her. This was not the mossy clearing that she had drifted off to sleep.  
  
She looked around wildly from her hammock in which she sat, too scared to get down. There was nothing to be seen around her other than two huge trees that engulfed her and her hammock. There were layers and layers of leaves and for a while Rosemary thought she was in a cage made of walls of leaves.  
  
She could her the call of birds in the air like it was right after a storm. The air was cool and still damp. After she crawled out of the two the hugest trees she had ever seen, she found herself a short distances from a cliff. From where she was standing it didn't appear to be that steep of a drop because she could see the tips of the trees peaking over the top. The sunlight came down in rays between the cracks in the canopy overhead.  
  
Rosemary was about to try to walk over to the cliff to see where she was when something or someone jumped down in front of her knocking her on her back. She struggled a bit trying desperately to get whatever it was off of her, when she heard a voice speak.  
  
"Calm yerself, gel. There's no need to be so fussy!" The voice said with an assertive but calm voice, which convince Rosemary to stop long enough for her to see who had jumped on her in the first place. When she looked up she saw the deepest evergreen eyes and immediately fell in love with them. Then she looked at the owner and determined, to her surprise, that it was an elf who had fiery red hair. The two colors of his hair and eyes fought what Rosemary noticed a constant battle over which was more vibrant. Rosemary knew he probably knew how cute he was so she decided immediately to not like him and his probably egotistical self.  
  
"Well, get off of me and maybe I wont hurt you!" She threatened venomously. He did have both arms and legs pinned down but not her mouth and she was proud to say that she had the restraint of a snake not to bite.  
  
"Now gel, I am ah just trying to .OUW!!!!" He rolled off of her and cradled his arm as if it were a baby.  
  
Rosemary smirked and stood up not feeling the least sorry for what she had done to his poor arm.  
  
"I did tell you very clearly to remove yourself from my person and you did me no such honor." She said sweetly and continued on her journey to the cliff that was a yard away. Unfortunately in a flash he was behind her with a knife at her throat whispering threats and curses in her ear.  
  
"Why you durty wench! I swear I have never seen such a wreck of a gel in all me life! One more move like you just pulled and I swear ." He was interrupted by a new voice that Rosemary recognized.  
  
"That I will cut off your head and won't think twice about it. Now put that nice little weapon down and let her go." Ryan shoved his words out through clinched teeth. Once again if anyone killed Rosemary, he was going to be the one to do it.  
  
He released Rosemary who stepped back and then he turned ever so slowly to face Ryan's ice blue eyes with his deep evergreen ones and threw his dagger to the ground at Ryan's feet. He wore a tense smile and just starred at Ryan with his hands slightly raised at his sides.  
  
"Who are you." Ryan was getting tired of interrogating people and this guy looked like he was a real piece of work but Rosemary really knew how to pick them.  
  
"I, good sir, am Brandon the Prince of the elves." Ryan was not in the least impressed by this title because Yahdoo had said he was one person and then turned out ot be two. Bottom line, this guy could be made of a whole army of 20,000 ants here to rob the world of their crumbs each with multiple personalities.  
  
"Ok Prince Brandon, why are you trying to molest Rosemary?"  
  
"I was not tryin to..uh.I was tryin to stoap th'gel from goin down that cliff to where me subjects areh. They mite git scerred an eat th'gel, alif. Besides she nefer tol me her business hereh an uh t'is my place." He stared at Ryan and told him all of this with a half of a smile flashing perfect pearly white teeth like he was mocking Ryan.  
  
Ryan looked him over. He was wearing brown leather boots that came up to his knees and blended in with his brown pants. He wore a white blouse that was loosely laced at the top and a leather vest that had varies designs embossed on it. Rosemary noticed from his appearance that he must live a carefree life and that just fanned the flame that was already burning against him.  
  
"Fine if this is your place how about you show some hospitality and invite us to come and stay awhile." Ryan smiled ever so gallantly at the Prince Brandon.  
  
"As yew wish." Brandon held out a hand as he gave us all a long sweeping bow while still managing to keep his head and evergreen eyes straight at Ryan.  
  
A/N* Hey hey, I hope that was a nice chapter. I had fun writing it but you how it goes. I have a special thanks for Aduial Elenath for her lovely review. I hope that this chapter was better and I am glad you said something about using more description because I sometimes lose myself in what I am doing and forget to tell what I am thinking my mind basically I think faster than I type which a good thing for me but bad for you. And I asked about the Hattie Olive thing before but no one answered what I should do about it. I think after hearing your thoughts and my friends I will make the Hattie Olive thing a separate story that I will write after I am done with this one. But that is just like me, changing topics mid-sentence but oh wells thanks you more than you will ever know for helping me on that and I hope the next chapter will be up shortly! Have a nice week and before you go don't forget to review! Thanks! 


	19. small talk

A/ N * Sorry for the delay! If any of you are still with me here is the next chap. Hopefully soon to be followed by another and another and another until we find an end to this.(:  
  
Brandon whistled in to the wind and a little elf came running up the tree that was peeking over the cliff. He was small and had pale blonde hair creeping from his squirrel hat. His outfit was very similar to Brandon's, with the exception of his eyes that were a grayish blue and his hair he looked like a miniature Brandon.  
  
"Thes wee-laddie 'ere is me younger brother, Alex." Brandon told the Ryan and me. "Alex, thes is .What tis yer name?"  
  
"rr James and this is." Ryan paused and looked to Rosemary about to make up a another name for her but then realized that he had already said her name. "And that of course is Rosemary but there is one other and I do not seem to see where." He paused yet again to look around for Yahdoo.  
  
"Who are yew looking fer?" Brandon looked at "James" questioningly.  
  
"We used to have one more companion but it seems that he has taken a detour of some kind. I must caution you though. He is a trickers with some mental problems so you might want to send some to keep a watch."  
  
"Ahlrigh. Alex, I need you to escort these two kind people to the establement and make sure you introduce them properly. Then I want yew to send out scouts for their friend, whose name would be?"  
  
"Yahdoo, he is short and mix of elf and gnome sort."  
  
"Elf and gnome say yew?"  
  
"Why do you know the fellow?"  
  
"I am afraid I know both of them in the one. If you catch my meaning."  
  
"Ryan, I knew he was telling the truth!"  
  
"Yahyuh! Of course, nefer tol' a lie in his miserable liif! If you don't mind my asking, how did you come to know him?"  
  
"He was trying to stop us from going to where we are going and then we caught him. How do you know him?" Ryan really wasn't about to trust this guy one bit. Rosemary really couldn't blame him because one question was haunting her brain. Why did he bring her here in the first place? As far she knew he was just another smarter version of Yahdoo.  
  
"Eh, we go whay back. He used to live with us. But I wont bore ya with the story. For now I must have Alex 'ere introduce you to my people sos they don't keel ya as soon as they look at ya and then we'll have a dinner. If that isn't ta much ta ask." Brandon poured out his words like honey.  
  
He could just smile and make a girl weak at the knees but Rosemary was very conscious of this and was not ready to let some smooth talking really cute elf get in between her good sense.  
  
Her curiosity was growing about these, insecure people for the moment. If what Yahdoo or Yahyuh or whoever said was right, they might be able to help her or they might be the servants of Urina.  
  
All she could see off the cliff were the huge leafy green branches of a tree that was bigger than she could have ever imagined. Alex told her and Ryan to stay here. Brandon said he was going to go find Yahdoo before "he git's himself in a world of 'urt" which he was sure wouldn't take much doing.  
  
Rosemary looked over at Ryan who was leaning against the tree she had woke- up in. It proved to look just as gigantic as the one peeking out from the cliff. Rosemary, always being very impatient decided to pass the time having a chat with Ryan. She was surprised that he hadn't said anything since she had runaway and that he was taking all of this very calmly.  
  
"Ryan." Rosemary called out him. Almost scared to talk too loudly as if to disturb tranquil waters.  
  
He looked up from his solitude with a expression of surprise but silently waited for her to continue.  
  
She wasn't quite sure what to say. "uh what are you thinking?"  
  
"What do you mean?" He seemed confused at her childishness. She was normally so out-spoken and impatient and after the last episode he didn't know what to think or do around her.  
  
"I mean do you think that we should trust them? We are just waiting here for them to come and greet us to their people who would kill us at first sight before a second thought and we are just waiting here. Waiting to be introduced. And what about Yahdoo's story? What if they work for her? What if they what to get what information from us they can before killing or having us for dinner? What if." She trailed off because there were so many different scenarios running through her head all at once becoming worse as they went on.  
  
Ryan saw that she was scare and beginning to crumble. Life had thrown her some hard punches and she had stayed standing for pretty long.  
  
"Rosie, there are a lot of what if's that come along in life but we have hit a wall. If we don't trust them what do we do then? Wonder around in the woods until this is all over? That may have worked for you up till now but for me I can't live like that. You ran off before but you would still need to hide because as you saw these people brought you back into the game. Rosemary this is your destiny whether you are willing to except it or not."  
  
Rosemary just stared at him not really thinking anything and before she could even think of a response Alex came from out of the tree over the cliff and waved us both over. Ryan walked over and Rosemary waited a couple seconds before following. Ryan's words now replaced the overflow of what ifs. But they were soon put aside for the tree was not just a tree but a sort of living tree.  
  
Alex told Ryan to just jump. Ryan took a run only to jump into a sea of leaves and disappeared into its abyss. Alex told Rosemary to do the same but Rosemary still felt slightly distrustful but she remembered Ryan's words and with a sigh she was also enveloped into a green darkness.  
  
She screamed for she could see nothing and she felt someone grab her. She soon realized that it wasn't someone but something. Her first thought was thank Ryan for getting them both killed but then she felt herself slowly being lowered to the ground.  
  
She was sitting on a mossy surface only to look up into the greenish brown wrinkly smile of a tree as it raised its fingery hand back from the ground. 


	20. Nomadic Elves

Glerk was in his own home with his family and they were sitting down to a feast. He raised his glass to his wife and kids. The kids were eating away happily and the baby started crying in its cradle. Glerk gave nodded to his wife signaling that he would get her. As he turned around, his wife threw a bucket of ice-cold water on his face.  
  
Then he opened his eyes and stretched out his arms. He was about to ask why she had done such a thing when he realized that he had been dreaming again. This was not good, he had fallen asleep on the job and he knew what that meant. It meant that it was his turn to deliver bad news.  
  
That was a rule among the guards. The person who was caught unaware or asleep on the job was signed up for the worst job imaginable and that was most of the time giving Urina bad news.  
  
"Comon Glerk, ya know what you have to do now." The other guard Toric said woefully.  
  
The reason this was such a dreaded job, was the person who delivered the news did not always come back or did come back but came back slightly altered for the worse.  
  
"What is the news?" Glerk asked mentally preparing for the task.  
  
"We don't know where Yahdoo is and we do know that the girl is with the elves but we don't know where the elves are. They were there one moment and gone the next. So we are really in trouble." Toric shook his head. This was sure to come back on all of the guards, even though they were just the messengers.  
  
Just then a grumble from the belly of the fortress echoed throughout. It was time for him to meet his fate. Maybe he would reunite with his family sooner that he thought. He picked up his staff and gathered himself to his full posture. He was tall for a gnome and he could almost pass for a human except for his wrinkly face for such a young looking person.  
  
He turned down one corridor pass other guards that looked at him and whispered as he went pass. They all feared for him and the news that would come after his visit. He would not let this stop him. As he nodded to the guards to go ahead and open the doors to the throne room, he took in a deep breath and continued walking into the room.  
  
Urina was petting her horrid bird with one finger and the bird was staring at Glerk waiting for him to do something or for Urina to do something to him. Glerk cleared his throat and Urina looked up from her daze. Glerk looked away from her eyes as he came up from a long sweeping bow.  
  
"So, Do you know where they are or not?" Urina stood to her full terrifying height. It wasn't that she was tall. It was the way in which she was dripping with power. The full effect was so belittling that Glerk started to cower and shield himself with his arm.  
  
"Pleeasse mmammammasster, I dodo know." He managed to answer through his vagarious trembling.  
  
"And?" Urina waited being more patient than usual.  
  
"Ryan and the girl are with the elves." Again she waited. " Yahdoo is lost but one of the elves went looking for him."  
  
"Where are the elves?" She smiled to herself making Glerk even more scared.  
  
"We we umm are not sure whe wher." Glerk did not finish because he disappeared and in his place a small fat mouse was in his place.  
  
"Oh look Mapetis, and you thought you weren't going to have dinner! Shame on you! Now you enjoy your meal while I take care of the others." Urina cooed to her bird and smile demonically.  
  
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Rosemary stared at the tree with a dropped jaw. The tree did not look very much like a person but then again it did have some facial features. Ryan was just as surprised but not willing to show it. He got up and looked around to find Rosie. She was sitting on the damp mossy ground with her mouth open looking at the tree that had just set her on the ground. He walked over and offered his hand. She looked up and took it slightly irritated that he was not as shocked as her considering it wasn't an everyday activity to use a tree as a lift.  
  
When she was on her feet she spotted Alex who was just being set down by the tree. He pointed behind her and walked in that same direction. Ryan and Rosie turned not expecting to see the sight that greeted them. There were mounds of dirt everywhere and from the mounds people were emerging. They were all dress in shades of brown to match the décor of the world around them. The mounds were at the base of the trees that surrounded the clearing. To make this scene more spectacular were the wall of trees that encircled them as if guardians over their humble dwellings. In the center of this was the remains of a bonfire.  
  
Ryan had met elves before and these elves most certainly did not fit the description. Elves lived in the forest and were hidden in thick groves of trees. They dressed in green and kept to themselves and did not seek out people. People or humans only meant trouble to them and the picture before Ryan did not fit what he pictured in his mind.  
  
A/N* hey hey, sorry this is late and short. I have thank you to hand out- Aduial Elenath - You are my star reviewer I can't even begin to thank you for all of the work you have put into reviewing my story and it really means a lot to me. I want to thank you times infinity. Nikki- I am soooooo glad you reviewed and it is because of your review that I decided to post this today or I would have kept you in suspense even longer! I am sorry to keep you waiting, and I am glad that you like this story! Ashes- Thank you soo much for reviewing! I am glad you like it! If there is anything you would like me to explain or I need to make a correction on just send me a review. 


	21. A Lovely Introduction

Rosemary had never in all her forest life met an elf so this all seemed as natural as the situation could be. The people of the strange village started coming up and looking at the intruders. There was one little girl who looked very nervous. She looked to be only five at the oldest and she was carrying a meek bouquet of flowers. Her blonde curly hair tangled and muddy around her face matched her brown jumper with brown stockings and brown shoes. She curtseyed not sure whether she should do what she wanted to do and then when up to Rosemary handed her the bouquet and then ran away to a mud hut across the way.  
  
Rosemary was puzzled. She looked over at Ryan who was amused and had a smirk on his face. Rosemary would have given anything to wipe that smirk off his face and at the moment the only thing she could think of to do was throw the flowers in his face. He caught and was taken aback but kept his smirk.  
  
While Ryan was being his normal annoying self Rosemary decided to look for Alex. She wanted to have him explain why they were here. He was over by the mud hut to her right looking off into the distance. She was about to go over to him when Brandon jumped directly in front of her scaring the color out of her face and making her jump back. It did not take long for the color in her face to return and more than doubly make up for its moment absence.  
  
"Why dear lassie, your face has taken a turn for the sun. I am afraid I mighta given ya a fright. What ever can I do to regain yar favor?"  
  
"Well not jumping down on people from out of trees for one thing. Kidnapping would be another or holding a knife to one's neck, or talking." She paused because Ryan came over in such a flurry, much different from his smirkish mood before.  
  
"So Brandon, what would you say to showing me around your camp." Ryan seemed set on something but Rosemary wasn't quite sure what. She decided to get him back for his smirk.  
  
"Yes, Brandon why don't you show US around?" Rosie smiled and linked arms with Brandon and then with Ryan.  
  
"As ya wish" and he steered them over to one hut that was slightly bigger than the others. "This 'ere is our meetin 'ouse." Rosemary was amazed at what she found inside. There stairs that lead down into a stage which Rosie realized it was a small crude amphitheater. It smelled as bad as the lighting for the only light came from a hole in the center of the roof.  
  
Then Brandon move a mirror so that it reflected the light from the hole in the roof to another mirror which in turn reflected it to another mirror making the room come alive with light. Rosemary stood in awe at the room at how grand it looked despite its muddy décor.  
  
"Soo, Brandon."  
  
"Yess, Jamess." He smiled his crooked smile and took at glance at Rosemary who was now down on the stage.  
  
"I have a question for you." Ryan started baiting Brandon to answer in the wrong way.  
  
"Well take your best shot."  
  
"Haha, sure. I think you know already what I am going to ask but I will ask anyways. You know that I have met elves before and I hate to be critical but you do not fit the name at all. So either you are lying and you are not elves or you are confused." Ryan waited and watched Brandon's manner as he started think of his response.  
  
Brandon rubbed his face with his hand, not really sure how to answer. He knew that he had to tell the truth but he wasn't sure that this "James" would believe his answer. Taking in a deep breath and letting his back fall onto the muddy wall, he started to respond when he heard Rosemary start to scream in terror.  
  
In a flash both Brandon and Ryan were over to Rosemary's side. Ryan went up to Rosemary to try to comfort her but she screamed and ran into the arms of Brandon.  
  
"Sh, sh, ya al'right. Nothing's gonna harm ya." Rosemary shook in Brandon's arms and slowly but surely stopped whimpering. She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes and looked almost scared at Ryan who was standing uncomfortably in front of them. Then she turned back to Brandon, took a shaky breath and was suddenly embarrassed.  
  
"Umm I'm fine.d." She trailed off when a crowd of elves came into the room. At the head of the crowd was an elderly elf that started scolding Brandon.  
  
"My Goodness Brandon, what in the forest has you started to disrupt this time? I think you should really start thinking about your jokes first! Well now now, dear don't let him get to you." The woman wrapped Rosemary in brown blanket as she crowed on about what a horrible host Brandon was and how horrendous Rosemary looked. "Did you ever even think to feed her or show them where she was staying? Maybe some rest? Or better clothes and a bath? Well Brandon, you have him still maybe you can do better!" She turned leaving Ryan with a look of confusion and Brandon with his mouth open not sure how to respond.  
  
Her tyrant did not stop there for the people behind her had not had their turn. " What is this! You have nothing better to do other than sit there and gawk? We haven't a guest in a while and you all forget your manners? You should all be a shamed! Muirne, why don't you get some hot water and get your sisters to find some clothes to give her. Tell your mother that I will make dinner. As for the rest of you leave unless you have business to tend to." She then left with Rosemary wrapped under her arm all the while scowling a look of death to all who past.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rosemary was leaning on a pile of soft pillows bundled up in warm clean warm clothes, something that she hadn't had in the longest time. She was deep in thought and had convinced Regina, the old woman elf that she was just tired and needed some sleep. In her mind replaying what she had seen while humming a song that she always sang when lost in thought.  
  
If someone had looked in upon this scene they might have thought her to be not up to full mental health. But this was her way to get away and just think. Sometimes about what was bothering her and sometimes nothing at all. Her hair was loose and half a foot below her shoulders. Two braids had been placed on either side of her head to keep the hair from her eyes. They gave her a brown tunic that was decorated with a lighter shade of brown stitches.  
  
After a while the green flecks in her blue eyes began to stand out sharper than usual and she started to play with one her braids while biting her bottom lip. A nervous habit she had developed when she knew she had to do something but wasn't quite sure how to do it. Finally she gave in to sleep as her left eye started to twitch in agitation from all the stress. She lay down on the bed of pillows and clutched the necklace. She licked her fingers and pinched out the flame on the candle to give in to sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Brandon saw the light go out from the hut across the way. He hadn't spoken to Regina yet and was rather anxious. He had spent day, after Rosemary's episode, talking with "James" or as he already recognized him to be Ryan, the old Prince of Tubika. Ryan obviously did not remember meeting Brandon when he was younger. But Brandon remembered the day because he had wanted to meet royal family and see what it was like to be a prince.  
  
Hezzel had told Brandon about Rosemary but he wasn't sure about what all Rosemary knew. He wasn't even sure if Ryan knew what was happening in the war or if he had even forgotten about his people. If Ryan was anything like his parents he knew that would never happen.  
  
Ryan had asked Brandon about his living arrangement. He wanted to know why Brandon talked so weird and why everyone around them was dressed in brown and why they were here and how he knew Yahdoo. Brandon shook his head recalling the flood of questions that came right after Rosemary left. He answered them as simply as possible without letting out too much information. Brandon knew that as of now he was to trust no one for anyone could be the enemy. The war was the least of his worries. Getting rid of Urina without getting everyone killed was the main problem. He knew that there was no possible way for them to win the war without stopping Urina first. But to get to her he needed the help of a very unlucky girl.  
  
Brandon silently and skillfully crept across the sleeping camp who light had been out for a while now. Slowly he opened the flap to just peek inside and was glad to see Rosemary still there. Sleeping just like when he first found her only with furrowed brows. She rolled over onto her side and sighed in her sleep. Brandon was worried that he might wake her and decided to go over and get some sleep for himself. 


	22. Life with Elves

Rosemary rubbed the sleep from her eyes and felt the flood of everything coming back to her. She realized that it was just a vision but it had been so real. Ryan was dead and Brandon was nowhere to be seen. She was locked in a dungeon on her way to be hung.  
  
Never had her visions been wrong. Never. The only problem now was whether or not she should tell Ryan. If someone saw her dead in the near future she was not sure she would want to know. Because who was to say that knowing that it was going to happen did not mean that you could prevent it.  
  
Or could she? She sat there on her pile of pillows pondering what to do next when there was a person at her hut asking if they could come in. She immediately recognized the owner of the voice to belong to Brandon. He came in with a plate of food and a mug of something and set them down in front of her.  
  
"Regina sent 'em over to ya." He paused, suddenly uncomfortable.  
  
"So other than the food what brings you here? I suppose you would like to know what was wrong with me yesterday? Well I will save you the trouble Prince Brandon of the elves, I saw nothing it was just .I didn't feel well." She looked down at the plate in front of her, hoping that her answer did not sound as bad as she thought it did. Brandon looked at her amused but saddened.  
  
"Ya' never hit me as the type o' gel who would throw herself inta a fit like that. I think there is more to what you are saying and besides I never tol' ya that I thought ya saw anythin so why would ya say that ya saw nothing? Ya know what I think."  
  
"No I don't care what you think!" Rosemary interrupted and shouted a little louder than she intended and really regretted it when Regina stuck her head.  
  
"Is everythin all righ'? Brandon ya aren't tormentin our guests again are ya?"  
  
"No thank you Regina, he fine. I just want to thank you for the food it is delicious." Rosemary smiled at her and took her first bite and hid a cringe. Regina was delighted.  
  
"Well, ya just give a call if he starts giving ya trouble." Regina nodded to Rosemary and scowled at Brandon and with that she left. Brandon shook his head.  
  
"Ok Rosemary, if ya aren't ready ta tell me then maybe I should go." He got up ready to leave, baiting her. She took the bait.  
  
"Wait." He stopped and looked back at her with the full force of his green eyes. Rosemary's gray-blue eyes locked. Rosemary turned away for a second and tried her best not to blush. She was not going to let his boyish charm work on her but she figured that she could tell him and then have him decide whether or not to tell Ryan. It would be his first test.  
  
"Ok I will tell you but what say stays just between us." She waited for Brandon to sit back down slightly closer to her so that they could talk in whispers.  
  
"You see I have these visions sometimes. They always make no sense and I never know when or where they are going to happen and why important details that would be good to know. Well and I had one yesterday." She stopped to look back up at him to see if he thought she was crazy but he had a look of deep sympathy that made her feel touched but she immediately stopped herself. It could all be an act. She had seen guys like this before who used their charm and great acting skills to get what they wanted.  
  
"So ya must have seen somethin pritty darn awful." He said urging her to go on.  
  
"Well I saw.Ryan .he was de." Rosemary looked down into her lap not sure if she could say it. Ryan had always seemed like an enemy. He was always trying to hunt her down and make her life hell but she had never thought of life without him. It surprised her to think that he meant this much to her but she just had never thought of it.  
  
"I see. Have they ever been wrong?"  
  
"Unfortunately, no."  
  
Rosemary watched Brandon as he seemed lost in thought.  
  
"Sooo now here is my question for you. Do I tell Ryan or not?" Rosemary posed the question like his life was in the balance. Brandon looked at her and then waited a moment before telling her his answer.  
  
"Well, I guess it wouldda depend on how close ya guys are."  
  
"See that I am not sure. Our relationship is very complicated. We sort of grew-up together but then there was something that happened that sort of put a damper on our friend like tendencies. Then we were sent on this mission together by this really good friend and we are now working together so I don't know." Rosemary fell silent and looked down at her picked at meal scared of what Brandon would say.  
  
"Hah, I thought ya were like milk and cookies the way ya talk ta each'other."  
  
"Me and Ryan?" Rosemary started laughing so hard she started to cry.  
  
"Ah ya don havta be thaat hard'on me." Brandon looked at her slightly frustrated. Rosemary regained control and wiped her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. Then looked back Brandon.  
  
"So now knowing what I have told you, do you think I should tell him?"  
  
"Well a man does have a right to know his own death but then again whatever we choose will be wrong because either way he will." He trailed after he looked at Rosemary's far off stare.  
  
Then he continued in a softer tone and put his hand on her shoulder while staring into her eyes, "I think that ya should do what ya feel is for the best. Ya can wait and tell 'em later or ya can tell 'em now or not tell 'em at all. Just because ya can see the future, Rosie, does not mean that ya can control it." Rosemary closed her eyes and looked down, not being able to stand the intensity of his eyes for any longer.  
  
Brandon lifted her chin, "It'll be all right, just wait an' see." And with that he hugged her making her feel a warm that she had not felt in years.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ryan saw Rosemary and Brandon emerge from the hut that Rosemary had been staying in. He knew that they had been talking but he was annoyed that he had not been invited. The fact that Rosemary had only known Brandon for a day and already she was confiding in Brandon more than him was especially annoying.  
  
Hezzel had sent them out together and it was their mission to stay together. If he had meant for them to do this separately they would have sent them separately. Ryan recalled the night be fore's events. This elf prince knew the whole time that Ryan wasn't just some random person and that he truly was a prince. What had disturbed Ryan even more was that he had known of Ryan's connection to Tubika currently being ruled by Urina.  
  
Brandon hadn't let him ask very many questions and Ryan wasn't sure how much more he could stand of his annoying mysterious ways. Rosemary did not help this anger growing inside.  
  
He knew that she saw something and it must have been something involving him considering that she wasn't telling and was now avoiding him by using Brandon as a cover. She was mistaken if she thought she was not going to tell him. It was his right to know and he was going to find out no matter what.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rosemary felt renewed by her talk with Brandon. It was amazing how in such a short time they had gathered a strong connection. She still did not trust Brandon completely because she was still aware of his charm that she was sure he used to get whatever advantage available to him.  
  
She glanced over at Ryan who was pretending to look busy cleaning the mud from his boots with a knife on a stump across the way. She knew that she wasn't ready to tell him but she knew that she would have to eventually. It was weighing down on her because she knew that it could happen at anytime.  
  
Brandon's words were echoing in her mind, "Just because ya can see the future Rosie, doesn't mean ya can control it." But no matter what decision she made it would be the wrong one. She had always felt it was her fault but maybe it was not entirely her fault. She would not even know it was going to happen until she saw it. And what she didn't see it? No one would blame her then.  
  
Rosemary looked up into the tall leaves on the branches of the trees that silhouetted a star out of the sun, as if waiting for some advice to fall down on her. But after a moment she knew she at least should talk to Ryan. He was not stupid and would know that she was trying to avoid him.  
  
She walked over to him all the way thinking of what to say. He looked up from what he was doing and looked her over a little before saying anything.  
  
"Hey Rosemary." He noticed how she had changed out of the dress that had become a wreck over the course of their traveling and she was now clean and completely a different person really. He almost didn't recognize her but would never admit it.  
  
"Hey." Rosemary managed to say in a voice slightly above whisper. She had decided that she would tell him that she did see something but that she was not ready to say what it was she saw. Rosemary knew that this would start a fight and she really did not want to have to start another one.  
  
"So how are you?"  
  
"Fine" He looked at her poking her foot in the dirt below making a little hole in the ground.  
  
"Oh come on Rosie! You know that I know you saw something so why don't you just tell me?" Rosemary looked up to give him a pained expression.  
  
"Oh my." He trailed off and threw the knife in his hand into the stump and then his hands into the air while starting mouth curses to the sky. "You are not going to tell me. Well Rosie, I know it was about me so you might as well tell me! I don't know why you told Prince of the elves over there who you have known for about hmmmmmmm let me see. one day!!"  
  
"Now Ryan! You don't understand!"  
  
"I understand perfectly! You are just under Prince Weirdo's charm who has some how brainwashed you into thinking that he is to be trusted!"  
  
"Ryan, that is not true and you know!"  
  
"Do I now? Well let us see, how much of him do know about? Huh? Did you know that he knew me and didn't tell me until last night when he accidentally called me by my real name. And did you also know that he was Yahdoo's son? Or Yah whoever?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh so you mean to tell me that it didn't exactly come up in your private meeting?"  
  
"Well you are innocent. How would you know that I was talking about him or what I was talking about unless you were spying on me?"  
  
"I saw him go into you hut and after the chat we had last night I am reeeeally not into the trusting Prince Fereaky accent."  
  
"Well now you are being mature about this! First you tell me to trust him and then you tell me not to! Which is it Ryan? Are you really the one with all of the answers?" Rosemary was screaming at this point and the whole camp was looking at them both. Ryan looked at her and shook his head. He yanked the knife out of the stump without any effort and stalked off without a word.  
  
Rosemary started to shake with anger and turned on her heel, giving everyone in her path the look of death until she got to her little mud hut.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	23. The endingof the beginning

Rosemary was back to square one. She was in her mud hut fuming trying to decide who she was madder at, Prince Fereaky Accent or Prince Royal Pain. All she knew was she had had it with princes and was quite ready to go off with some other people. Anyone had to be better than them. Just then there was a tapping on her hut. She knew immediately that she was in no condition or mood to be chatting with anyone that would come to see her.  
  
"GO A-WAY!" She said it as plainly as possible.  
  
"Now, now dearie I'm sure that ya do'n mean it. It is just me, Regina." The pleasantly plump woman who was the mother Brandon and the wife, she was assuming, of Yahyew. She looked at her frizzled hair in a messy bun and her little height and thought her to be the only person that Rosemary would want to talk to at this point.  
  
"Oh Regina! I am so sorry I thought it was.someone else." Rosemary looked down and Regina looked at her and smiled knowingly.  
  
"May I comen, then?" She chuckled. Rosemary nodded.  
  
"I am sorry that I am causing so much trouble." Rosemary murmured as Regina sat down. She looked up shocked at Rosemary's statement. "No no dearie, you are fine. What with those two, ya got yer hands full! I come 'ere ta talk ta ya 'bout some thins. Ya must understand that ya are doin everythin that Hezzel wants."  
  
Rosemary's head snapped up in an instant at the name of the little old man she once knew. She was about to question but Regina continued.  
  
"Yes, that man knew how thins would turn out. He knew. Now Rosemary he has sent ya 'ere. Ya do'n think that ya came 'ere without reason? No. Everything ya do has purpose and that brings me ta what I wish ta speak with ya." Regina sighed and paused a moment not the kind of person to rush things she felt were important but she was pressed for time.  
  
"Yes," Rosemary asked impatiently.  
  
"Ah Rosemary always in a 'urry I can't 'elp but laugh but I must be serious," She took in a deep breath. "Rosemary, ya are the only one who can rescue Hezzel." Before Rosemary could interrupt she continued, " There is something else in this mess that I can't tell ya and ya will 'ave to find out on yer own but in the mean time I must explain.ya really do 'ave magic in ya but 'cause of the curse that Urina put on ya.yer magic is well sort of put away. Every now and then ya 'ave burst of it come back and that is 'ow Hezzel is able to talk to ya. Now ya must find a way ta get it back and rescue Hezzel." Regina said all this with a look of pleading urgency that Rosemary felt touched yet like she had run into a stonewall.  
  
"But Regina I couldn't possibly.I mean it is just me and all my stupid.how could this just." Rosemary fell silent not quite sure what it was she wanted to say.  
  
"This is yer destiny and I know I am being mysterious and slightly confusin but ya must trust me. Now ya are ta leave tanight. Brandon, Ryan, and Yahdoo 'ave everythin ready. All ya 'ave ta do is meet them by the great tree that ya came through ta 'ere."  
  
Rosemary rose to leave but Regina stopped her.  
  
"Rosemary there is somethin I want ya ta 'ave. Do'n think I would letcha leave 'ere without a partin gift. It's a cloak I made ya, surprisin enuff there really isn't anythen particular about'it 'cept it keeps ya warm. It'really isn't that amazin but it's somethin ta remember me by and 'opefully ya think of me an' not give up 'ope for my sake. Good luck gal and my thoughts shall be with ya." Regina looked at Rosemary with watery eyes.  
  
She and Regina had not known each other for very long but she would morn the fact that they did not have more time to spend together or for her to explain things more clearly. But how nice and horrible would life be if we got to rehearse it before it happens. And so with a warm hug good-bye and silent prayer that they should meet again Rosemary set out for the great tree across the camp.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ryan looked up as he notice the flash of light from Rosemary coming out of her hut. He and Brandon had had an absolutely lovely time packing the horses and Ryan was still irritated by Brandon's lazy arrogance. If it weren't for there strikingly opposite appearance one would think they were just brothers arguing for the twenty millionth time that day.  
  
He could barely see the outline of Rosemary for she wore a hooded cloak that almost hid her from the night. She glided across the ground like she was floating. It was the first time that he ever saw or thought of Rosemary as graceful. He chuckled to himself and just thought how things never cease in growing weirder.  
  
Brandon had told Ryan about the war. As he thought of the overwhelming causality report of his men and the barely wounded men of Urina he thought of his stupidity of thinking he could stop her. Brandon said that he was doing the right thing but how could he trust this arrogant fool. They were to travel until they reached the gnomes and try to convince them to join this already "successful" fight. It was suppose to be a united front but Ryan's cynical self was beginning to take over. This was without purpose. He was stuck with Rosemary who, though it appeared to be not her fault, was cursed with bad luck that hurt the people around her to get to her and then Brandon who was well self-explanatory. He felt sorry for Rosemary but he did not think she was the one to help the situation as everyone else did. In his mind Hezzel was the only one to do this and Urina had captured him. Now it was over. This had to be the end. 


End file.
